


the laws of attraction: for dummies

by noyaboya



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Bisexuality, Childhood Trauma, Don't worry it's not Yachi's, Explicit Language, F/M, Firsts, High School, Idiots basically, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, Sexual Confusion, Sexual Content, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Underage Drinking, Unplanned Pregnancy, Verbal Abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-18
Updated: 2017-07-04
Packaged: 2018-06-09 03:38:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 12
Words: 22,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6888385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noyaboya/pseuds/noyaboya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“W-would it be okay if we did it again sometime?” Yachi squeaked as her glance timidly shot down to her shoes.</p><p>Hinata and Kageyama beamed.</p><p>“Yes!” they almost shouted, as if it were a competition as to who could answer first.</p><p>Yachi held back an eager grin as she looked at the boys.</p><p>“Okay,” she twirled the bottom of her blonde locks, unsure of the implications her words possessed.</p><p>“Well, goodnight, Yachi-san,” Hinata murmured while leaning in to kiss her cheek.</p><p>Kageyama, upon seeing what his teammate was about to do, quickly leaned into her other side in an attempt to beat Hinata to the kiss. They both ended up kissing her at the same time, her face erupting in a hot, red flush.</p><p>“T-thank you,” she stammered, at a loss of how to reply.</p><p>Hinata chortled while Kageyama returned her blush, his blue eyes darting up to the ceiling.</p><p>-<br/>(This fic takes place during the start of the second season, particularly revolving around the relationship(s) between Yachi, Kageyama, and Hinata.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. count me in

**Author's Note:**

> Alriiiiight so this my first ff and I have no idea what I’m doing so I apologize profusely in advance. Honestly, no idea, so if I've committed a social boo-boo or have any blaring mistakes, please don't hesitate to tell me.
> 
> My motivation for this fic mostly stemmed from wanting to challenge myself and wanting to write about a high school polyamorous relationship. Also the anime left so much potential for Yachi to be close wit dem boyzz so I thought I'd help 'em out. 
> 
> I have more material that I am working on that I hope to have up by the end of the week. Enjoy!
> 
> UPDATE: I think I've fixed all spelling and grammar issues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here goes nothing...

“M-me?” Yachi’s amber eyes widened in shock as she pointed a finger to herself. Kiyoko-san was unwavering in response. Yachi’s heart pounded as she looked into her potential senior’s pleading eyes. 

“Yes…” Kiyoko encouraged, her eyes maintaining steady, serene contact with Yachi's, “you’d be perfect for the job.”

Yachi exhaled for what seemed like the first time in hours. _Could she do it?_ Her hand fluttered to her agape mouth. _There was no way… she knew absolutely nothing about volleyball!_

Silence persisted as her brain processed Kiyoko-san’s request. 

“I don’t… I mean, I haven’t…” Yachi choked and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. 

“It’s perfectly fine,” Kiyoko murmured in a soothing tone, “I would teach you everything.”

Yachi clamped her mouth shut. _Was she really considering this?_

“You could come to a practice and just watch to see what it’s like. Think about it?” Kiyoko reached for Yachi’s shoulder to offer an encouraging pat. 

The young girl hesitated before lifting the corners of her mouth into a shy smile and nodding. 

“Okay.”

_

Class was out for almost a minute before Yachi snapped back into reality. All day she pondered Kiyoko-san’s proposition to become the volleyball club manager. She packed her books in her backpack and left the classroom in a vacant daze. Her curiosity got the best of her as she ventured to the gymnasium where Kiyoko had mentioned the volleyball club practices. Squeaky shoes and bouncing volleyballs echoed among the various shouts from the players. Yachi peeked in through the open door, magnetized by the commotion.

It all seemed wildly chaotic. Boys were jumping around in all directions, hitting volleyballs so hard it seemed that their arms should snap off upon the violent, sudden contact. Yachi’s head spun as she watched countless balls flying across the length of the court, in an organized pattern she couldn’t quite decipher. She stood in awe with her mouth agape, and suddenly took a step back, intimidated by the large, powerful male team members. Yachi was just about to pull out her phone to call her mother, when a volleyball came surging towards her. She let out a frightened yelp and ducked, her terrified face centimeters away from impact. An orange-haired boy appeared in front of her apologizing for the rogue ball. 

“Are you okay?” Hinata halted in front of the shaking girl. Yachi didn’t respond right away, but when she did, she found it impossible to not to visibly shake.

“Y-yes…” she stuttered, standing up straight in an attempt to regain her composure.

Hinata sprinted to grab the stray ball and returned to Yachi.

“I get hit on the head everyday. My day is not normal unless I have a volleyball print somewhere on my face,” he grinned, swinging the volleyball up with his left hand and pressing it against the side of his head.

Yachi couldn’t help but laugh at the cute, enthusiastic boy.

“I’m okay… It was close though,” she managed to choke out.

“Oi, Hinata!”

The two snapped around to see a taller, glaring boy with dark hair in the doorway.

“Stop slacking off,” he growled, slightly on guard in the company of the unknown girl.

“Stupid Kageyama, I was making sure she wasn’t hurt by a volleyball!” Hinata shouted impatiently at the other boy as Yachi fidgeted.

Kageyama’s posture relaxed.

“Oh,” he mumbled, “Sorry.”

Yachi took a good look at Kageyama. He was remarkably handsome, but in a way she hadn't seen before. Maybe it was the way his eyes slanted with repressed anger, or maybe it was his mysterious, lanky profile. Sweat dripped from his bangs and shirt like he had been running for hours without a break. He continued to return her gaze, wearing a blank expression. Yachi shivered at his commanding presence. 

“I don’t think I know you… are you someone’s sister on the volleyball club or something?” Hinta blurted out, unknowingly interrupting the awkward silence.

Yachi averted her eyes from Kageyama to look at Hinata. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of his charming, boyish face. She realized she was hesitating and shook her head in response to his question.

“No, I-“ she began, before Kiyoko appeared behind Kageyama.

“You came!!” Kiyoko exclaimed, overcome with joy, “I wasn’t sure if I’d see you today!” 

Yachi half-smiled, unsure of how to react. After all, she wasn’t positive herself why she was at the entrance of the gymnasium. 

Hinata stared at her with his wide, eager eyes. She blushed and shifted her eyes to the side. _What an intoxicating presence!_

“I asked Yachi-san to possibly become the volleyball manager after I graduate,” Kiyoko interjected, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “I think she would be great,” she added thoughtfully, smiling at Yachi.

Still overcome with nerves, Yachi bit her bottom lip, intertwining her fingers together.

“Are you ready to watch a practice, Yachi-san?” Kiyoko asked as Kageyama and Hinata perked up in anticipation for the girl's response.

Yachi swallowed. 

“I think so…” she squeaked. _What was happening?? Her body acting on its own!_

Hinata beamed at Yachi.

“Yay!! Come!!” he shouted, grabbing Yachi’s hand with his free one and yanking her inside, after the two others. Yachi noticed Kageyama smirk upon hearing her answer, but decided not to contemplate it further.

-

The sounds of shoes squeaking and volleyballs bouncing amplified tenfold once Yachi set foot inside the gymnasium. Hinata dropped Yachi’s hand and glimpsed back at her, his mouth still holding a jubilant smile. 

“See ya!” he chortled, racing past her to join the rest of the team. Kageyama spun to face her before bowing respectfully and following suit.

Yachi raised her hand and began to wave awkwardly to the fleeting boys.

Kiyoko-san cleared her throat politely and Yachi whirled around.

“I see that you’ve already met our weirdo quick duo,” Kiyoko observed, smirking.

 _Weirdo quick duo? What does that even mean?_ At a loss for what to do, Yachi paused and pursed her lips. She resolved to flash Kiyoko a reassuring grin in an attempt to keep herself from looking out of place.

“Yes, I did…” she paused and reached for her phone, “do you mind if I make a quick call outside?”

Kiyoko nodded and brushed her bangs behind her ear.

“Hurry back!” she called after Yachi, who was already out the door.

\- 

Instinctively, Yachi called her mother. She was accustomed to her mother’s overprotectiveness because she was the only child and it felt unnatural if she didn’t constantly update her mother on her whereabouts. 

Yachi’s anxious heartbeat increased with every dial tone. She hadn’t the time to explain the situation in its entirety to her mom. With a pit the size of a volleyball growing in stomach, she knew she had to fib a little instead.

Her mother’s familiar voice answered after the third tone. 

“Hello? Hitoka?” she asked in a hurried tone, as if she was sprinting through her office with the phone strapped to her cheek. 

“H-hi Mom,” Yachi stammered, trying to keep her voice even, “school is finally over. I just wanted to let you know that I’m studying in the library for a few hours.” 

Her mother was silent for some time, insinuating that she detected something wrong in her daughter’s voice.

“Well, are you okay?” she asked at last, shifting her phone around against her ear.

“Yes, I’m okay. I just have a big test in Kanji coming up,” Yachi explained as she faked a groan.

“Okay, don’t be late for dinner,” her mother replied, appearing to have stopped running. Yachi wondered if she knew she wasn’t telling the truth. It wasn’t uncommon for her to study in the library after school, which made her suspect that her voice must have sounded more frail than usual.

“I won't,” she mumbled, ending the call. She stood gazing at the vacant campus hallways until she noticed a strange figure approaching her. Yachi's heart stopped – this man didn’t look like a teacher. In fact, her didn’t look like he should even be on school property. His light hair was slicked back, he had piercings in his ears, and he wore a mean look on his gruff face. Yachi gulped hard. He reminded her of the “thugs” in town that her mother warned her of. Her knees began to shake in terror as she let out a small whimper. _Was that guy going to hurt her? Or threaten to shoot up the school?_ Yachi’s frantic mind raced as she thought of the horrifying possibilities.

The mysterious man stopped in front of her. Yachi no longer could maintain her composure.

“PLEASE DON’T KILL ME!!” she yelped loudly, leaping away from him and raising her arms to protect herself.

He reached an arm out. Yachi shrieked and sprinted away, her legs moving with all their might. _Could he catch her?_

After she reached the end of a hallway, she realized the felon didn’t follow her. She breathed a huge sigh of relief, clutching her heart. After she gathered herself, Yachi sauntered cautiously back to the gym, on high alert in case (god forbid) she saw the thug again.

Once she returned from her harrowing journey from the other side of the school, she peered through the door. Everyone was still practicing and oblivious to the fact that there was an intruder on campus. She joined Kiyoko on the sidelines, still shaken from the previous incident.

“You okay?” Kiyoko chuckled delicately, noticing the other girl’s apparent distress.

Yachi nodded and wiped her nose against her wrist. A few seconds passed before she registered that she was looking directly at the same scary man she had seen earlier lurking less than five meters from an unsuspecting Kiyoko. Yachi yelped again, making her way for the exit in a panic. Kiyoko sprinted after her.

“Yachi-san! Where are you going? What’s wrong?” she questioned as she grabbed the backside of Yachi’s shirt to stop the terrified girl.

“Thug!! Intruder!!” she bellowed, snatching Kiyoko’s arms and dragging her along as she tried to escape.

“Huh??” Kiyoko stopped Yachi without any struggle. _She sure didn’t look it, but she’s so strong!_ Yachi thought as Kiyoko coaxed her to calm down. The scary-looking man had joined them, his hands up in defeat.

“I won’t hurt you!” he announced, slinking down to half his height.

Yachi stopped squirming against Kiyoko.

“Then what do you want??” she demanded, taken aback by her own tone.

The man looked down at his feet. 

“Well, you see, I’m the coach… The volleyball club coach… Ukai Keishin…” he explained, looking back at Yachi.

Yachi gripped her cheeks in abject horror. _The COACH?! What?!_

“OH MY GOD!” she realized aloud, her entire face turning crimson. She fell to her knees and bowed as low as she could.

“I’m so sorry! I judged you based on your appearance!! I’m awful!” she admitted, embarrassed and ashamed of herself.

The coach let out an uncomfortable chuckle.

“Now, now, it’s okay… calm down…”

He wasn’t accustomed to talking to teenagers in this manner and was feeling sorry for the poor girl. She seemed sweet, and her innocence is what got her in this mess in the first place.

“It’s not your fault,” he added with haste, knowing he was failing at consoling her. 

Yachi didn’t budge or make a sound. She felt her face continue to heat up as she wished with all of her might that she could disappear from this situation. By this point, the team had stopped practicing to see what the commotion was about. Yachi could feel endless pairs of curious eyes on her. She refused to move from her lowered position.

Kiyoko-san crouched down to her and placed a hand on her back. 

“Yachi, it’s all okay. We can start over,” she crooned, in a similar soothing fashion as her mother would, “get up so you can meet the rest of the team!”

Yachi winced. Kiyoko’s words echoed in her bowed head. _She still had to meet the rest of the team._

Yachi exhaled before pushing herself up off of the ground, defeated. She shot up too quickly and gave herself a head rush. After stumbling to gain balance, Yachi stole a glance at the team of boys staring at her.

“H-hi,” was all she could choke out, before Kiyoko interrupted and offered a proper introduction.

“This is Yachi Hitoka. I asked her to take my place as manager of the volleyball club once I leave. She’s going to watch us practice and we’re going to treat her with respect, right?” she winked playfully at the boys, but mostly at a shaved-head boy and a boy with dyed blonde bangs whose names Yachi would later learn. The two gaped at Kiyoko, and then faced one another with triumphant expressions.

Most of the boys smiled at Yachi politely.

“Welcome to the Karasuno High Volleyball Club!” an older-looking brunette boy beamed from the back of the group. The rest of the teammates joined him. 

Yachi grinned at everyone genuinely for the first time. She had almost forgotten about the previous incident. _Almost._

The coach clapped his hands and offered his own welcome, then ended the momentary break by assigning the players to 3v3 scrimmage matches. 

Yachi regrouped on the sidelines with Kiyoko, Ukai, and a teacher she knew as Takeda Ittetsu. She watched as the boys slammed volleyballs back and forth over the net, yelling nonsense phrases such as, “Nice receive!” and “Cover!” Her brow furrowed in confusion as she tried to make sense of what was happening. Kiyoko began explaining the nonsense, as if she knew Yachi was having trouble keeping up. Yachi listened intently, whipping out a small notebook to take notes on anything important Kiyoko mentioned. Like, everything she mentioned. Yachi broke a sweat as she furiously scribbled volleyball player positions, terms and rules in her notebook. She glanced up just in time to see, or not see, Hinata and Kageyama break the laws of space and time while scoring a point. She blinked, then turned to face Kiyoko with an expression that demanded an explanation. Kiyoko giggled and placed her hand on the side of her neck. 

“Yeah… That’s what I meant by our weirdo duo,” she clarified and glanced over at the boys who were now high-fiving each other, “the play you just saw is called a quick.”

Yachi scratched the word onto a fresh page in her notes.

“The term describes a situation where the setter, Kageyama in our case, tosses the ball to a spiker, Hinata, with the intent to hit the ball _quickly_ over the net. It can happen right after the ball flies over the net from the opposing team, or it can happen after a recieve on the third touch.”

Yachi’s mind reeled as she tried to grasp all of the details. She was excellent when it came to studying for school, but this all just seemed like confusing jibberish. Practice continued along with Yachi’s growing headache for an hour and a half. Once Coach Ukai blew his whistle, the team knew they were finished for the day. Yachi helped gather stray volleyballs with Kiyoko while the rest of the team worked on rolling and packing the nets away. The same tall brunette who first welcomed her earlier approached her introducing himself as team captain Daichi Sawamura, followed soon after by the silver-haired vice capitain, Sugawara Koushi.

“We are delighted to have you,” Daichi remarked, bowing in gratitude.

“Please don’t worry about remembering everyone’s name. We won’t introduce to everyone separately now as to not overwhelm you, but keep that in mind as you meet the team at your own pace. Although they might not look it, everyone is very friendly,” Sugawara advised, maintaining a similar polite attitude as Daichi.

Yachi bowed with immense gratitude. This was the first time since she got to high school that she was making friends.

“Thank you for having me!” she replied, relaxing from her bow and returning her gaze to the two captains.

“We do practice before school everyday, but please know that we do not expect you to attend morning practices. We mostly need help in the afternoon for drills.”

Yachi was unfamiliar with his vernacular. _What did he mean by drills? Like tools? Are they building something?_ She cocked her head slightly but refrained from asking anything further.

“Yes, I would like to come to practice again tomorrow,” she proclaimed, ignoring her lingering confusion.

Daichi and Sugawara grinned at her and then one another before heading off to continue cleaning up. Kiyoko touched Yachi’s shoulder so suddenly that she jumped in surprise. 

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you…” she apologized before removing her hand, “I just wanted to let you know that you did well today. With, you know, the Coach Ukai situation…” she teased, nudging Yachi in good humor.

Yachi blushed, reminded of her humiliating moment in front of the team.

“No! Not you embarrass you further… I just think that you are tougher than you realize,” Kiyoko explained, brushing off a stray hair from her shirt.

The first-year paused and gawked at Kiyoko, taken aback by her honesty. 

Kiyoko changed the subject.

“Anyway, tomorrow we start at 3:15, same place. Think you’ll make it?”

Yachi flashed Kiyoko a toothy grin.

“Count me in,” she answered before slinging her book bag over her shoulder.

“See you tomorrow,” Kiyoko smiled again while waving to the departing girl.


	2. and so it begins...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama and Hinata develop a new aspect of their relationship. And find that they are sort of smitten with Yachi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My (first) next installment! It was super weird bc I honestly had no idea where I was going with the scenes I was writing, but I was able to splice them together in a somewhat coherent manner... let me know what you think!

Hinata raced Kageyama to the familiar street corner between their houses and sprang in the air victoriously when he won by a split second.

“I win again! You’re too slow,” Hinata proclaimed, hands on his hips and a proud smile playing on his mouth. 

Kageyama angrily huffed and clenched his fists in annoyance.

“You started running before I did, idiot,” he retorted, slapping Hinata’s back as he started for the direction of his house.

Hinata continued to proudly gleam. “Hey Kageyama, that Yachi girl is suuuper cute, huh?” he chimed, his attention briefly wavering from Kageyama. Kageyama froze, thinking of the adorable, young blonde first year. 

“She’s… okay…” he choked out quickly, averting his eyes to the ground and blushing feverishly. She was far better than okay. She was the first girl to catch Kageyama’s attention. Hinata prodded the other boy further.

“I think she’s cute. She has the length of hair I like on girls, and she seems like has a good heart," Hinata listed off, half to himself, then paused once he noticed Kageyama's growing discomfort. Hinata's inquisitiveness had backfired - he felt an unexpected, roaring jealousy toward Yachi for putting that smitten look on Kageyama's face.

“That’s some deep observation, coming from you,” Kageyama sneered, relieved that he could insult Hinata rather than admit that Yachi was one of the prettiest girls he’d talked to. 

"It's not like she likes you at all," he added spitefully. 

“I’m serious! I want to get to know her more. It would be a nice change from you, Kageyama,” Hinata jeered, sticking out his tongue to try to cover his jealousy.

Kageyama stood quietly stewing while Hinata taunted him for the 50th time that day. 

“Are you done yet?” Kageyama asked, knowing the answer. 

Hinata crossed his arms and huffed. 

“Why so grumpy?”

Kageyama shrugged. He really didn’t know himself, he just had an intense desire to shower and lie in bed for the next 10 hours. It had been a long day. Plus, he could do without persistent teasing from Hinata.

Hinata pouted like a child half his age. He couldn’t elicit an honest response from Kageyama and was beginning to shrink in a paranoid despair.

“It isn’t… It isn’t me is it? You aren’t tired of me?” Hinata whispered, nervously playing with his fingers.

Kageyama shook his head while rubbing his own face with both hands, a sign Hinata came to understand as an expression of intense fatigue. 

“I just need to eat a big dinner and rest, I’m feeling drained from receiving so many serves from the scrimmages,” Kayegama clarified, lifting the dread from Hinata’s heart. 

“Okay,” Hinata cleared his throat before mumbling, “see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” Kageyama mumbled in return before reshuffling his bag around in his shoulder, not knowing what else to do.

After exchanging goodbyes, Kageyama continued his walk home alone. He rounded the corner and passed by a neighborhood park. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a small figure sitting on a swing near the edge of the park, gently swaying back and forth. Kageyama maintained a swift pace and squinted as the outline of the being came closer into view. He paused for a moment before craning his neck into a double-take. _He recognized that tiny stature._ He would know, considering how many peeks he snuck at her during practice. Kageyama took a step forward towards the petite outline, contemplating his next move. Before he could register what was happening, he was approaching the vaguely familiar silhouette. The girl spun around in shock as she heard Kageyama advancing behind her, spooked by the disturbance. 

“Hey,” Kageyama said in a low voice, gradually taking a seat in the unoccupied swing next to her. 

Yachi looked at him, bewildered. 

“What are you doing here?!” she practically yelled, still stunned by Kageyama appearing out of thin air. 

“Because…” Kageyama started, pointing down the street, “I live down there. I’m just walking home.”

Yachi blushed faintly. 

“Oh…” she trailed off, looking down at the sawdust ground. 

“Do you live around here?” Kageyama inquired, playing with the fraying end of his sweatshirt’s drawstring. 

“Over there,” Yachi pointed to the cross street. 

“I’m sorry to approach you out of nowhere, but I really wanted to apologize for how I was earlier. You know, outside with Hinata. I felt that I gave a bad first impression…” Kageyama confessed as he looked up at Yachi before adding, “honestly, I feel like an asshole.”

Yachi couldn’t help but giggle at Kageyama’s sincerity. 

“It’s okay, er, Kageyama-kun, right?”

Kageyama beamed, impressed that she remembered when Hinata briefly revealed his name.

“I know you know this, but I feel weird not introducing myself. Yachi Hitoka,” she smiled respectfully, extending her hand to Kageyama. _So cute,_ he thought to himself as he wiped off the sweat off of his hands and onto his pants.

“Kageyama Tobio,” he said, mirroring her tone, grabbing her hand for a handshake with his temporarily dry palms. They squeezed each other’s hands in a polite manner and released their grips, sustaining friendly eye contact.

“How did you like watching practice?” Kageyama inquired as he tightly wrapped his fingers around the swing’s chain. His curiosity consumed him as he wondered if she enjoyed herself that afternoon.

Yachi cleared her throat anxiously. Truth be told, she wasn’t sure herself what she thought – she was still trying to process the bizarre volleyball language that was half in English.

“Great!” she piped offhandedly in an attempt to convince both Kageyama and herself that she did enjoy it.

“We liked having you there,” Kageyama mumbled unexpectedly, startling himself. His heart raced and his cheeks flushed as a result from his sudden embarrassment. _Why the hell did he say that?_

Yachi fought a cheerful smirk forming on her lips. Before long, she spoke again.

“I think I’ll come again tomorrow,” she mused, observing the quiet park. 

Kageyama smiled at her before jumping off the swing. He was battling his nerves and needed to leave before saying anything else impulsively. 

“Great. In that case, I’ll see you tomorrow,” he muttered as coolly as he could muster. 

Yachi extended her arm high into the sky and waved to him.

“See ya!” she called after him as he disappeared into the setting sun.  
Yachi’s body shook with excitement while she beamed to herself. _It was finally happening. She was making friends._ She gazed once more in the direction Kageyama walked before jumping off the swing herself and heading home. 

-

The door to Yachi’s house was locked. She let out a groan, reaching into her bag to fish out her house keys. After she retrieved them, she unlocked and opened the door to a dark house. She had been entirely preoccupied by her potential extracurricular activity that, after stopping in the park to contemplate the day, she lost track of time. Yachi sighed, knowing she didn’t do the only thing her mother wanted – be on time for dinner.

She tiptoed through the entry to her room, gingerly closing the door behind her. Exhaling and dropping her book bag on the floor, she plopped down in her desk chair with haste. Even though she had numerous hours of pending homework, Yachi began to write an apology letter to her mother. She couldn’t say much without revealing where she had actually been, but she explained that school was currently stressful and overwhelming. Yachi resolved to cook dinner for the next two nights in an attempt to remedy things with her mom. Pondering possible dinner menus, she folded the apology note and slipped it under the door to her mother’s room. 

Yachi wandered into the bathroom, lacking an appetite. She quickly showered and returned to her room. Changing to pajamas and plopping back into her seat, Yachi instantly pulled her books out, thinking of nothing but studying as fast as possible. Despite her consuming thoughts regarding the new people in her life, she refused to let her schoolwork suffer. 

After two hours of uninterrupted studying, Yachi yawned loudly and leaned back in her chair. She had completed English and Math, with just a few more idioms in Japanese to go. Pleased with how effectively she was using her time, she eyed her wall blankly while recollecting her thoughts on the day. Yachi immediately pictured the parting smile Kageyama had given her. Her cheeks warmed as her mind unexpectedly skipped to thinking of Hinata’s lively eyes, his attractive boyish face…

Yachi ceased her overpowering thoughts abruptly and resumed furiously working her assignment. She needed to finish her homework before freaking out over her confusing feelings. Her eyes rolled in the back of her head once she completed the last phrase of her Japanese homework. She packed her books up as hastily as she had splayed them out, still not feeling hungry. Deciding to turn in early, she proceeded to wash her face and brush her teeth, climbing drowsily into her bed. 

She squeezed her eyes tight and buried her face into her pillow. Her mind began to replay the events of the day in detail as she watched vacantly. _Kageyama, Hinata, Kiyoko, Karasuno Volleyball Club…_ she thought to herself while a smile crept on her mouth, _all of them. She wanted to know all of them._

-  
Hinata was snoring loudly when his alarm started screeching in his ear. He grumbled in protest, slamming the cancel button and rolling away from the clock.  
Chilly air wafted through the room as he shivered under his blankets. In an attempt to motivate himself out of bed, he imagined meeting Kageyama and Yachi at school, eating lunch with them, walking to practice with them… Hinata sighed bleakly, reminded of his peculiar predicament. Throughout the past month he was battling a newfound, powerful attraction to Kageyama. Meeting Yachi was like a breath of fresh air because he immediately sensed that same magnetism and yearning as he felt around Kageyama. _Liking boys isn’t normal,_ he repeated to himself everyday. _He liked girls._ And the latter was true – Hinata’s first crush developed on a female classmate was when he was five. He never considered the sex of a person when admiring their features. There were two simple categories in his memory bank, hot and cold, that assisted him in developing his feelings. Kageyama wasn’t just _hot_ – he was Hinata’s first boy crush. 

He sat up in defeated frustration, resolving to barricade his thoughts for now. At this rate, he would be late if he continued to be consumed by his emotions. He scampered from bed, grabbing a pile of clothes and his school uniform. Hinata hurriedly changed into his volleyball practice attire and laced up his shoes, still fighting the urge to think about his two love interests. Flinging open his door and trudging to the bathroom, he brushed his teeth while running a comb lazily through his hair. After splashing freezing water on his face, he instantly perked up and grabbed some protein bars from the kitchen. He packed extra food and clothing in his book bag, slipped on a coat, and leapt out the front door. 

Bitter cold nipped at his bare fingers as he cursed silently and unlocked his bicycle. He readjusted his book bag carefully (he had lost items previously while riding too recklessly) before climbing onto his bike. Hinata began pedaling frantically to warm his chilled body, burying his face in the collar of his jacket. After he was halfway to school he pulled out his protein bar to satisfy the gnawing, anxious feeling in the pit of his stomach.

-

Hinata was already locking up his bike by the time Kageyama showed for morning practice. 

“Beat ya,” Hinata taunted playfully, knowing that he had just initiated another day of competition with Kageyama. 

Kageyama grunted in response, walking past the bike racks and into the gymnasium. Hinata was not far behind, bumping into Kageyama friskily after changing into his gym shoes.

“Kageyama!” the shorter boy whined, displeased with the lack of attention he was getting.

Once again, Kageyama let out an acknowledging grunt, careful not to make direct eye contact with Hinata. Hinata sighed in frustration, too awake at this hour for his own good. 

“Not everyone can be as chipper and annoying as you, dumbass,” Kageyama remarked at last, eyes trained to the floor as he slid past Hinata to retrieve a ball. 

“Not everyone can be as grumpy and moody as you, idiot!” Hinata yelled after the setter. He was irritated – Kageyama was acting distant and had been acting distant for some time now. It didn’t help that Hinata always wanted to spend time with him.

Practice continued. Kageyama tossed to the others on the team and only Hinata when he demanded it. Hinata’s heart sank once he realized Kageyama was avoiding him.

The two boys didn’t exchange any words until the end of practice. Kageyama was sipping from his water bottle in a daze when Hinata approached him. 

“Come with me,” the decoy ordered as he squared up with Kageyama.

Kageyama opened his mouth to reject his request, but Hinata was already dragging him forcefully outside. 

After they were a suitable distance away from the gym’s entrance, Hinata released his death-grip on the collar of his teammate’s shirt. 

“Hinata, you idiot!! What gives?!” Kageyama snarled, shoving the shorter boy’s chest. 

“Calm down stupid,” Hinata hissed, snatching Kageyama’s hands off of his chest and squeezing his wrists, “why are you acting like you’re mad at me?”

Kageyama’s eyes darted down to his feet as he struggled to remove his hands from Hinata’s hold.

“Just tell me!” Hinata impatiently huffed and glared at Kageyama, who had just freed one of his hands.

“It’s not that simple…” Kageyama muttered, his eyes remaining on the ground, “just, leave me alone.”

Hinata sighed deeply. They were silent for a few moments until Hinata could no longer bear it.

“What’s wrong?” he asked softly, looking down and realizing that Kageyama still had a grip on one of his wrists.

“I…” Kageyama trailed off before taking a big breath, “I had a dream last night. You were, you were in it,” he mumbled, his face bright red.

He took another breath and ignored Hinata’s prying eyes. 

“It was, well, it was weird,” he chuckled nervously, “we, uh, kissed.” He blushed, finally glancing up to look at Hinata’s expression. 

Hinata was taken by surprise. Neither said anything as they stared confusingly at one another. Kageyama leaned away, regretting his grave honesty. Anxiety ballooned in his chest and he spun around to walk in the opposite direction.

“Wait!!” Hinata shouted, reaching for Kageyama’s hand out of impulse. His heart was racing the fastest he had ever felt – faster than during any run or volleyball game. Kageyama froze, his stomach flipping at the touch of Hinata’s hand. He turned around to see the orange-haired boy blushing to the point of resembling a ripe tomato. 

“Was it like uh, a mouth kiss?” Hinata asked, unable to contain his excitement.

“Y-yeah…” Kageyama responded, his blush spreading throughout his cheeks as the two dropped each other’s hands. He gazed at Hinata's thin lips, reveling in how soft and inviting they looked. 

“Just like a fast, little kiss?” Hinata looked into Kageyama’s eyes longingly, his knees shaking from anticipation. 

“Mhm,” Kageyama confirmed, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets.

“Was I good?”

“I don’t know, you dumbass! It was a dream!!”

“You don’t know??”

“How would I know???”

Hinata stared at Kageyama, their faces only centimeters apart. Hinata lost control of his body as he grabbed Kageyama’s face and kissed him quickly before yanking himself away in utter horror. The two gawked at each other, bewildered and uncertain of what had just transpired.


	3. jealousy pangs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama grows weary of the blossoming friendship between Yachi and Hinata.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I needed some teen angst!! More to come in the next chapter too.

Hinata blinked, alarmed by his actions. _He needed to run. Anywhere._

“Uh, bye!” Hinata shouted to a dazed Kageyama, whirling around and dashing away. Kageyama did not flinch as he listened to the fleeing footsteps of the boy he was just… _kissing._

Waves of students poured onto campus for class, forcing Hinata to shove his way past the crowds in search of a vacant spot against the courtyard wall. He broke through the swarm of his peers, exasperated and gasping for air. Hinata hadn’t truly taken a proper breath since before kissing Kageyama. 

He pressed his back against the wall, catching his breath and consumed in thought by his last conversation with Kageyama. _Did he really just kiss his teammate?_ Hinata shuddered, not because he was disgusted, but because he was absolutely mortified by his boldness. His fingers fluttered to his bottom lip as he touched it gingerly. _Kageyama’s mouth was just against his._ He licked his lips, savoring the lingering sensation. Hinata closed his eyes while picturing kissing Kageyama again, only this time, for longer than a second. He visualized the other boy’s enticing lips, fantasizing about deepening their kiss beyond a peck. Butterflies erupted in his stomach, his fantasy playing on repeat in his head.

While satisfying himself with his imagination, the background noise vanished as the last students filed into the classrooms. Hinata, registering that school was starting, sprinted to class in a disordered frenzy. 

He excused himself upon opening the classroom door, his head drooped down in embarrassment. After sliding into his desk, he opened his notes and scribbled the gibberish the teacher had on the board. His mind darted all over the place in a panic, rendering him incapable of paying attention to the lesson. Hinata's mind drifted to thinking of Kageyama's lips and how much he wanted to try the kiss again. He had no idea how to bring it up with his teammate again. He groaned to himself, debating whether or not to even eat lunch with Kageyama after the… incident. Kageyama and Hinata always ate lunch together so to think today would be the first day without the company of one another was almost too impossible for Hinata to stomach.

The teacher wrote the next part of the lecture on the board and Hinata absentmindedly copied it into his notes. He was at a loss of what to do – until he glimpsed at a girl with short, blond hair sitting next to him. His mouth curved into a grin as he was reminded of a certain cute first-year he had just met. Hinata perked up and resolved to find Yachi during lunch. 

-

Yachi had headphones in and was highlighting lecture notes at her desk. Most days she toiled silently, without mumbling so much as a “present” during morning attendance. It wasn’t that she was odd or difficult to approach - Yachi was just painfully shy. Yet, being an only child resulted in her fierce independence, thus she truly didn’t mind spending time alone. She had plenty of acquaintances that were peers in class, but no one worthy of seeking out for lunch or hanging out with after school. Yachi was by no means a snob, (quite the opposite really) she simply possessed strict and immaculate study habits that carried her to the top of the class. She was intelligent, yet aloof and lacking passion. Yachi had always been studious and never joined a club, always choosing to study instead. 

“Yachi-san!” 

Yachi paused, wondering if she had actually heard her name. She continued to stare at her notes, afraid to look up in case she was imagining things. 

Two fingers tapped lightly on the corner of her desk. She glanced up to see Hinata, bento box in hand and brown eyes glimmering with anticipation. 

“Oh! Hinata!” Yachi exclaimed in surprise, jerking her ear buds from her ears. She winced in pain, smiling sheepishly to hide it. 

“Wow! What are you making??” Hinata placed his hands on either side of her notes, leaning in to take a better look at the multi-colored paper.

“I’m not…’ Yachi started, “I mean, those are just my notes…”

Hinata removed his hands from her desk as he stood up straight. 

“Hah, sorry about that,” he said while rubbing his hands together, “I was just seeing if you wanted to each lunch, but you seem busy…”

Yachi shook her head violently and slammed her notes shut. 

“No please! I was just about to start eating, please, sit,” Yachi motioned to the empty seat next to her.

Hinata hesitated, eventually plopping down and placing his food on the desk. Yachi, both mesmerized and startled by him, didn’t take out her lunch. Hinata noticed (after taking three huge bites) that she had not budged. 

“What’s wrong, Yachi? Don’t you have a lunch?” Hinata asked with a mouthful of rice.

“Yes!” she squeaked, lunging for her bag to retrieve her bento. She removed the cover, eyeing Hinata out of the corner of her eye as she took a bite. 

A few minutes passed as the two ate in silence – Hinata, absorbed in his food and Yachi, fretting about the prospect of speaking with a boy outside of class. Hinata gobbled up half of his lunch by the time he came up for air. 

“I was so hungry! My stomach has been growling for the past hour,” Hinata complained as he rubbed his belly. 

Yachi grinned, charmed by how much he reminded her of a child. He reached and scratched the back of his head, an embarrassed expression covering his face. 

“I can’t believe I thought your class notes were your artwork. They’re so colorful and neat... I can see why you’re in class 5!” Hinata admired, picking his chopsticks back up, “I’m so terrible in school, which is why I’m in class 1. I don’t mind though. I have volleyball, and that’s all that matters.”

Yachi felt Hinata’s presence toughen as he thought about his favorite sport. He stared hard at the wall behind Yachi, his eyes almost lifeless. She trembled at his intensity while also marveling at his passion. He snapped out of his trance, eyes glistening again as they returned to Yachi. 

“Sorry about that, I have some preoccupying thoughts…” Hinata confessed as he grabbed his chin, “you don’t know this yet, but our team was invited to practice with other strong teams at a training camp in Tokyo. We’re all planning to attend, provided that we all pass our final exams. I hate and suck at studying though, ” he finished as he bit his lip in worry. 

Yachi listened to Hinata continue to rant over frustrations over school, his failing grades, and his inability to pay attention. When he finished, she was seized by an overwhelming urge to assist him as best as she could. She would refuse to admit it, but she also didn’t mind spending more time with the joyful boy. _Maybe she could learn from him too._

“I don’t think anyone really loves to study, but I can teach you some methods of organization and memorization techniques. They work for me, but might not necessarily work for you, though…” Yachi explained, taking another bite of lunch, “I’ll try my best to teach you my tips and tricks. We can meet here in my classroom and go over material.”

Hinata’s eyes grew wide as he was taken aback by Yachi’s genuine kindness. She barely knew him, yet was offering her time to help him study. 

“Really??” Hinata asked, grabbing her hands and making her drop her chopsticks in the process, “you’d do that?”

“Yeah,” Yachi mumbled and blushed slightly. _His hands felt so warm and comforting wrapped around hers._ She held her breath, praying that he’d linger. 

-

Kageyama waited apprehensively in his homeroom for Hinata to arrive. Hinata had the habit of popping into his class everyday to have lunch with him. In the beginning, this habit irritated him to his core. Hinata lacked table manners and always taunted Kageyama between bites. Kageyama assumed that he had grown accustomed to the annoyances Hinata exhibited - sometimes even secretly enjoying them.

Despite the events of that morning, he hoped Hinata would still appear as if nothing had happened. He remained in his seat riddled with anticipation, glancing at the door every time he saw someone walk in. The moment he shared with Hinata after morning practice had been the only thing on his mind and he was eager to attempt to make things normal again. Kageyama ignored the fact that he liked kissing Hinata and would do it all day without hesitation if he could. He couldn’t bring himself to accept that his potential feelings for Hinata existed outside of his dream. 

After glancing up a tenth time to see only a classmate entering the room, he grew restless. Surrender gripped Kageyama as he snatched his lunch and left his classroom in search of Hinata. 

Upon reaching Hinata’s homeroom, he peeked cautiously through the door. He scanned the room for signs of his teammate, sighing in defeat when he was unable to locate him. Kageyama began skulking back to his class, considering whether or not to check the bathroom. 

An orange blur caught Kageyama’s eye. He glanced to his right, finding himself peering into a classroom he had never been in before. Kageyama sauntered to the door, unable to comprehend the scene in front of him. Hinata was sitting a few meters away with Yachi, both of them completely oblivious to Kageyama’s lingering stare. Kageyama blinked hard, hoping his was hallucinating. The image remained before him no matter how many times he closed his eyes. Angry jealousy fumed inside Kageyama while he watched the two eat lunch and converse. They were clearly having a terrific time… together. Without him. 

Kageyama couldn’t bear to lurk any longer. He stormed back into his class, scarfing down his food in a blind rage and possessed with paranoia of losing the two of them to the world of dating.

-

Kageyama was already aggressively warming up before anyone else had reached the gym. Volleyball was Kageyama’s mantra – everything made sense to him once he was in the game. His mind would be temporarily wiped blank, lessening his powerful emotions. He picked up a ball and started to practice his tosses.

His meditative trance was broken by Hinata’s loud, bounding footsteps. 

“Hey, uh, can I talk to you?” a nervous Hinata inquired as he meandered over to his teammate. 

Kageyama stopped tossing, averting his gaze from Hinata’s.

“What do you want?” he hissed, placing the ball by his hip. 

“I’m… I’m just sorry, okay?” Hinata blurted out, ”for earlier… I know it was weird and unintentional. Let’s just forget it happened, deal?”

Kageyama finally met Hinata’s eyes with his narrowed ones.

“Forget… it happened?” Kageyama repeated slowly, processing Hinata’s request. 

“Yes,” Hinata breathed while turning bright red in embarrassment, “you just gave me an idea with that dream and I had never tried it before so…” He took a deep breath.

Kageyama tilted his head in puzzlement.

“Never tried it before?”

“Right, like…” Hinata huffed, “like ever really kissed anyone. Outside of family.”

Silence filled the gym as the two boys gawked at one another.

“What?!” Hinata interjected angrily, “and you have?!”

Kageyama paused before nodding slowly.

“Oh god!!” Hinata cried as he fell to the floor, “how could you have kissed someone before me?! How did you already beat me?!”

Kageyama scoffed, irritated by Hinata’s dramatic display.

“Look, get up dumbass. And… I’ll forget about it.” Kageyama murmured, turning his back to Hinata.

Hinata rose from his knees, realizing he wanted Kageyama to do the exact opposite. The thought of never kissing him again sent waves of sadness through Hinata as he stood in place, dumbfounded. Half of the team filed in together from the locker rooms and Kageyama returned to tossing the ball to himself.


	4. tension

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M BAAAAAACK!  
> longest hiatus ever.
> 
>  
> 
> Update: some grammar problems fixed

The dismissal bell’s resounding chime knocked Yachi out of her deep trance. Her mind was still occupied with thoughts of becoming the volleyball club manager and in turn, closer to the two boys that piqued her interest. She packed up her bag in a hurry, thrilled for her second day observing the team. Yachi could hardly contain her excitement - her fingers even quivered around the strap of her book bag as she fashioned it around her shoulder. She set off for the gym in a gleeful stride, her blond hair bouncing and shimmering in the sunlight. 

Kiyoko was finished dressing and shutting her locker when Yachi entered the women’s changing room. The third-year beamed upon laying eyes on the first-year, flicking her hair over her shoulder and starting for the exit. 

“Good afternoon, Hitoka-chan! See you in there!” she hummed over her shoulder as she set off for the gym.

Yachi smiled shyly and began changing into her gym attire. She still didn’t know what to entirely expect during practice. As long as Kiyoko continued to enlighten her about the sport, she expected to be okay. Her main goal was to not interrupt practice as she had done the previous day. Not too difficult, right?

The players were already soaked in sweat from practicing serves when Yachi entered the gym. Kageyama stepped up to prepare for his turn, spinning the ball between his fingers and inhaling deeply. He tossed the ball high up and in front of him, gradually changing from a walk to a sprint as he gathered momentum. He slammed the volleyball with his hand, sending shockwaves through the gym upon impact. The ball zipped over the net, bouncing right before crossing the white line that acted as an “out-of-bounds” mark. 

“Excellent, Kageyama,” Coach Ukai cooed from the other side of the net as he continued to inspect each player’s serve. 

Kageyama grunted in response to the coach’s praise, wiping the sweat off the side of his mouth with his hand. 

Hinata, who was in line behind a few players waiting to serve, spotted Yachi and began jumping around in excitement.

“Yaaaachiii-saaaaan!!” he shouted from his position in line, waving frantically to the young girl. 

“Hi!” Yachi called back, returning his wave. A few other players had joined in waving welcome, but not Kageyama. He continued to brood as he slinked to the end of the line, his eyes sharply narrowed. 

“Hitoka-chan, can you help me with something?” Kiyoko murmured behind her, “the boys are preparing for a practice match and we need to set up some chairs for the other team’s coaches.” 

Yachi obliged and nodded, happy to help rather than stand around looking lost. 

The two girls began to retrieve foldout chairs from underneath the gym’s stage. When Yachi had opened and placed the last chair down, Hinata ran up to her. 

“I’m so glad you get to watch us play in a game!” Hinata chirped as he threw his hands energetically in the air, “we’re going to win for sure!”

Yachi smiled and gave him a thumbs-up, her spirit lifting from his positivity.

“I can’t wait to see the action for myself,” she proclaimed, clenching her fists eagerly. Yachi was just about to wish him good luck, when she realized Kageyama was glaring at them from the opposite side of the court. She froze, intimidated by the withering stare piercing through both her and Hinata. Thankfully, two teammates who she hadn’t met yet broke the tension by approaching them to retrieve their decoy. 

“Thank you for watching over our son, he’s always taking advantage of when our backs are turned,” the buzzed-head boy snickered, situating Hinata into a headlock. 

“We would be in big trouble if not for you, good madam,” the other boy with dyed blond bangs chimed in, taking Yachi’s hand and bowing dramatically. 

“Knock it off!!” Hinata squealed as he squirmed against the headlock. 

“Allow us to introduce ourselves,” the boy holding Yachi’s hand started, “I’m Nishinoya Yuu: fearless libero of the team, friend to all, and uh, currently single.”

“NOYAAA!” Hinata screeched, yanking himself from the arms of his other teammate. 

“And I’m Tanaka Ryu,” the boy who had put Hinata in the head lock proclaimed, pointing to himself, “wing-spiker, female enthusiast, and not lame enough to state my relationship status.” Tanaka grinned provokingly at Nishinoya, who was scowling at him. 

“Nice to meet you both…” Yachi choked out, “I’m Yachi Hitoka.”

“We know!” Tanaka taunted playfully, “and we want you to become the new manager. Because when you’re around, Kiyoko-san talks a lot. And smiles.” He turned to look at Nishinoya, who wore the same sly grin as Tanaka.

“And because we think you would be a good fit,” Hinata added, annoyed with his teammates for spoiling his conversation with Yachi. 

“That too,” Noya winked at Yachi and grabbed Hinata’s arm.

“C’mon, lover boy,” Tanaka whispered into Hinata’s ear and smacked him lightheartedly on the back. 

Yachi’s blush turned bright crimson. She returned to Kiyoko, too anxious to check if Kageyama was still watching.

The two girls neatly stacked the team’s uniforms on the chairs and waited for the team to finish their serving drill. They filed to the chairs, grabbing their jerseys according to their player numbers. Yachi glanced over to Hinata, who almost had his gym shirt off. She yelped in shock and tried not to look at his naked torso, her eyes catching on someone else’s in the process. Without thinking, she gawked at a set of chiseled abs for a moment before realizing they were Kageyama’s. She froze, unable to yank her gaze from his body.

Hinata, after putting his jersey on backwards, removing it, and then slipping it on again, noticed Yachi staring at Kageyama. He glared jealously at the other boy, despite finding himself aroused by the setter's toned body. He shook himself from his ogling and angrily turned away to find Tsukishima directly in front of him.

“A little jealous, are we?” Tsukishima taunted as he strolled past the orange-haired boy, leaving a befuddled Hinata to interpret his vague gibe.

The other team filed into the gym, placed their bags against the wall and organized themselves to begin their warm up. Yachi watched curiously until it was time for the two teams to line up for the coin toss. She lined up with Karasuno, intimidated by an opponent player easily double her height standing before her. Yachi gulped hard, surrounded and unaccustomed to the forest of tall males in her presence. 

The game began shortly after Karasuno won the coin toss. The club’s mood transitioned from light and friendly to bloodthirsty. Captivated by the team’s focus and concentration, Yachi felt a sense of pride being associated with them. They looked tough and exuded unwavering confidence – something she sorely lacked.

Yachi gaped in awe as both teams worked endlessly to keep the volleyball in play after the first serve. After observing intently and listening to Kiyoko’s explanations of each play, it hit her.  
_This is volleyball._ Everything from the atmosphere, to the techniques, to the plays, to the lingo… it all tickled at her heart. Watching a game just put a whole new exciting perspective to the sport. 

She couldn’t help but fixate on the setter, who seemed to have the commanding energy on the court. His movements were fluid and carefully planned out. _How hypnotizing…_ she thought to herself as she set continued to gawk at Kageyama. 

-  
They played two sets until the visiting team had to depart. 

“Normally, in a real game, we play three sets if the teams each win one set like they did today,” Kiyoko explained while Yachi helped her put away the chairs. The team worked to wheel the cart of volleyballs and folded nets into the closet. A few players were finishing mopping up the floor when the coach called for a huddle. 

“You can go if you need to. Practice ran a little late today because of the scrimmage,” Kiyoko suggested, reminding Yachi that she needed to make dinner for her mother. 

“Okay! I’ll see you later!” Yachi announced as she started for the locker rooms to change. She looked over her shoulder to see the team focused on the coach’s speech, deciding not to interrupt to wave goodbye. 

Yachi changed as fast as she could, hoping she could still pull off dinner. She scurried outside, crashing into a sweaty Hinata. 

“Hey Yachi-saaaan!” Hinata sang as he laughed at their collision, “How did you like the scrimmage? I wish we could have played three full sets. “

“It was terrific!! I want to watch more games!” Yachi declared enthusiastically, still high off the energy of the team. 

Hinata beamed to the point of blushing. 

“Anyway… I have a question for you!” Hinata started, commanding Yachi’s full attention, “what are you doing tomorrow? It’s Saturday and I wanted to try this new ramen restaurant in town.” He smiled nervously, twiddling his thumbs. 

Yachi’s cheeks flushed instantly. She had seen enough TV drama and shounen shows to recognize that Hinata was potentially asking her on a date. 

“Um..” Yachi mumbled timidly, smoothing out her skirt, “I’m not busy.”

Hinata’s eyes glimmered. 

“Okay! Then you’ll go with me then?!” he blurted out, half demanding her and half asking her.

“Y-yeah,” Yachi’s eyes flicked up to gaze at Hinata’s eager face, “I’ll go with you.”

Hinata beamed.

“Give me your phone,” Hinata ordered and reached his hand out.

Yachi hesitated and retrieved her phone from her bag, brushing Hinata’s fingers gently as she handed it to him. Her stomach exploded with butterflies. Hinata clicked away on Yachi’s phone inputting his number, oblivious to the fact that his tongue was sticking out in concentration and she was staring at him, awestruck. The tapping ended and he handed it back to her, still grinning ear-to-ear. Yachi found herself doing the same. His smile was contagious.

“What way are you walking?” Hinata asked while adjusting his book bag.

“This way,” Yachi motioned, pointing left down an empty hallway.

“Hey, me too!” Hinata exclaimed, starting for the same direction.

Yachi looked around anxiously and followed Hinata, crossing her arms. He stopped at the bike rack and swiftly unlocked his bike. Once more, Hinata began walking without a word while Yachi tailed him uncertainly. His steps became smaller as he allowed her to catch up with him. 

“I hope I still have time to cook rice and fry some fish…” Yachi thought aloud as she gazed to the sky, distracted by her dinner plans. 

“Hey, have you ever ridden on a bike with another person?” Hinata asked suddenly. 

“Like a tandem bicycle?” Yachi questioned, worried that Hinata hadn’t really meant that.

Hinata stopped unexpectedly. 

“Get on my back,” he instructed, climbing onto his bicycle.

Yachi stepped back, terrified of the idea. 

“I’m serious, don't you want to get home faster?” Hinata asserted while wheeling closer to her.

Yachi stared at him with an uneasy expression on her face.

He grasped her hand and placed it on his shoulder. 

“You won’t get hurt. I promise,” he murmured, lowering himself for her to hop up on his back.

Yachi regarded the small pegs on either side of the rear tire before looking at Hinata again.

“Please,” he pleaded, maintaining deep eye contact with her.

Yachi bit her lip and placed her foot on one peg, swinging her other leg over and stepping on the adjacent one. She hugged Hinata’s shoulders nervously, gripping as tight as possible. Hinata began to pedal instantly and Yachi let out a small, surprised yelp. Hinata couldn’t help but laugh. They took a sharp turn, causing Yachi to clench her teeth and squeeze her eyes shut. The wind whipped through their hair as Hinata excitedly pedaled through the streets, traveling just as quickly as if he were alone. 

Once Yachi became accustomed to the speed, she opened her eyes. Trees and lamps whirled by while Hinata tirelessly rode. She saw confused looks on people walking on the sidewalk and she giggled rowdily in Hinata’s ear. He gleamed upon hearing her sweet laugh and let out his own as they continued to pass swiftly by judging faces. They neared a neighborhood park and Yachi tugged at Hinata’s sleeve. 

“You can stop here,” she said, even though Hinata was already braking. 

“Kageyama told me you live around here,” he mentioned as he helped Yachi off the back of his bike. She fought the burning sensation on her cheeks. 

“Yeah, just over there,” she pointed to a street filled with identical looking houses.  


Hinata smiled widely at her. 

“Thanks for riding along,” he chuckled and scratched the back of his head, “even though you were super scared doing it.”

Yachi balled her hands into fists with excitement and grinned at him.

“It was so cool!!!” We were like fwooosh! It was so speedy that my eyes watered! I’ve never gone so fast in my life!!” Yachi gushed while looking at Hinata intently, her blush in full effect. 

Hinata sniggered and placed a hand softly on her head.

“I’m glad you liked it,” he said with a friendly pat, “don’t worry, that ride wasn’t the last.”

They waved to one another and Hinata left for the remainder of his journey home. Yachi watched as his fading silhouette disappeared in the distance, her heart still pounding.


	5. regret

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LIIIIIIIIIVE!!!  
> Needed some more perspective from Kags, so it's heavily his POV (angst obv)  
> Not my best, but I have some goodies stored for their date next chapter!!  
> Enjoy???

Kageyama felt sick to his stomach. Not in the same way as when he ate some bad beef that one time. Not in the same way that’s accompanied by flu chills. _No, this was different._

He gripped his gut angrily, blaming it for shattering his concentration and resulting in a loss during the second set. 

The teams lined up to shake hands. Kageyama’s face was frozen into a soured expression. 

“Hey, are you alright?” Daichi mumbled to Kageyama, pausing before heading for his spot in the line-up. 

Kageyama could only manage to soften his expression momentarily in reply to his senpai. 

The teams bowed respectfully and the rival team filed out. Karasuno gathered for their usual post-practice huddle with Coach Ukai. Kageyama made no eye contact with his teammates, his stomach flipping in confused anger. _This is all stupid Hinata’s fault anyway,_ he thought angrily, _that dumbass never should have kissed him and made everything weird._

Coach Ukai ended practice and the setter stormed out of the gym. He started for the journey home without bothering to change his clothes, running into the person he was trying to avoid the most in the process. 

“Bye,” Kageyama hissed, seizing the first opportunity he had to escape. About three paces into his runaway, Hinata lunged for his arm.

“Hey, what are you doing tomorrow night? Wanna uh, go try a new restaurant with me?” Hinata asked, in a subtle form of an apology for his earlier rudeness. His hand still gripped Kageyama’s jacket. Kageyama’s heart overturned at the physical contact.

“I’m studying,” Kageyama grumbled before sidestepping away from the decoy and in the direction of his route home. 

“Fine, forget it! Forget you, Bakayama!!!” Hinata called after him and began running in the opposite direction.

Kageyama instantly regretted his reaction to Hinata’s proposal. Though normal in cadence for a reply from the grumpy setter, he wanted nothing more than to undo it. He whirled around in search of the middle blocker, already forming a decent excuse for his behavior. 

Rounding the corner back to the gymnasium entrance, Kageyama came upon an unsightly scene unfolding. Hinata, who just moments earlier asked him to dinner for pretty much the first time ever, was extending the same exact invitation to Yachi. Kageyama’s eyes narrowed as he skulked back the other way, defeated by his own pride. 

The voyage home was swift, on account of Kageyama’s alarmingly fast speed-walk. He unlocked his front door after a few angry attempts, finally flinging it open in full frustration. Having stomped the ground with every step, he collapsed, exhausted on his bed. He wouldn’t budge until the following morning.

-

Yachi beat her mom home by fifteen minutes, which, luckily for Yachi, was plenty time to start prepping for dinner. She had already started heating the oiled skillet and had the rice cooker steaming when her mother walked through the front door.

“Welcome home, Mom!” Yachi chimed, a bit overly enthusiastic regarding her mother’s arrival. She paused from unwrapping the paper off the fish fillets to greet her in their mini foyer. 

“Hi, Hitoka,” Yachi’s mom glanced from her phone screen as she entered through the front door. She paused in the entryway, clicking away as if she was finishing up a long email.

Hitoka Madoka wasn't remotely sunshine and rainbows. In fact, most time, Yachi felt frightened and intimidated by her. Madoka was a single mother, completely engrossed in her successful career, and about as comfortable as the bristles on a porcupine. Still, she provided food and a roof over Yachi's head (luxurious at that), so Yachi felt that she couldn't complain about her mother's idiosyncrasies. 

“H-h-how was work?” Yachi stammered, suddenly filled with anxiety in suspecting her mother was still upset with her.

Yachi’s mother continued to eye her phone. After a few minutes, she locked it and sighed loudly. 

“Busy,” she breathed, plopping down on the sofa and beginning to remove her shoes, “we have quite a few deadlines coming up. School was good?”

“Great!” Yachi chirped a little too forcefully while moving back into the kitchen. Her mother noticed, taking advantage of the situation to inquire about Yachi’s recent whereabouts.

“So where were you last night? A bit irritating that you said you'd be home for dinner…” she grumbled, eyeing Yachi with a annoyed glance. 

Yachi froze, unwilling to divulge her secret just yet. She couldn’t even swallow the thought of becoming the next volleyball manager, let alone reveal it to her mom. 

“Tutoring,” she remarked, suddenly remembering her promise to help out Hinata and his failing grades, “I’m tutoring some peers after school.” 

Yachi pulled out two zucchini squashes from the fridge and began slicing them in preparation for steaming. 

“Oh?” Madoka cocked her head quizzically, “what made you decide to become a tutor?”

Yachi bit her bottom lip hard, her nerves starting to eat at her. She dropped the sliced zucchini into the steamer in an attempt to buy some time before she responded. 

“I don’t know… I thought it would be nice to help classmates… and it would help me revise material as well… and…” she trailed off and looked down, “meeting new people too…” 

“People?” her mother cocked an eyebrow, “or boys?”

Yachi’s face flushed crimson.

“Mom!! No!! Just people! Friends!!” she half-bellowed, halting her cooking process. She avoided her mom’s prying eyes, ashamed of her own obvious transparency.

Her mother rose from the couch, her inquisitive stare towards her daughter unwavering. 

“I’m going to go get changed,” she murmured, laying a hand on her daughter’s shoulder before heading to her room.

Yachi gulped hard. 

_Crap._

_

Kageyama woke with a start the following morning from knocking on his bedroom door. 

“Good morning honey, forgive my intrusion,” Kageyama’s mother murmured as she inched inside her son’s room, “how are you feeling? We missed you at dinner.”

Kageyama groaned and threw his covers over his head.

“I wasn’t feeling well and I was tired,” Kageyama responded, at a loss for a better excuse. 

“Mmm, how are you feeling now?”

“Fine. Better,” Kageyama muttered. 

Kageyama’s mother reached for his blanketed head.

“I’d like to see you leave your room at least once today.”

“No promises,” he retorted while his mother, taking the hint, spun around and shut the door. 

Kageyama remained in bed for hours, unwilling to move. His mind tormented him with thoughts of Hinata and Yachi laughing together, holding hands, kissing… It was more than he could bear. By the time Kageyama rose from his bed, the day was more than half over. He took a record-long shower and dressed for what was left of the day. His mother rejoiced at his appearance out of his bedroom, throwing her hands high into the air. 

“Finally returning to the land of the living!” she remarked, pausing from her dishwashing in the kitchen, “so good of you to join us!”

Kageyama gave a grunt before opening the front door. 

“Going on a walk,” he mumbled, slipping on his jacket.

“Will you be back for dinner?”

“Not feeling hungry, sorry,” Kageyama replied, slipping out the door and thereby avoiding any further questioning from his mother.

The sun was beginning its descent in the overcast sky. Kageyama yawned so intensely that tears welled in his eyes as he set off in a random direction. He couldn’t shake Hinata and Yachi out of his mind and he was growing agitated by the second. Before long, Kageyama was fuming – angry at himself for rejecting Hinata’s invitation and angry at Hinata for hanging with Yachi without him.

_What if he would have just said yes to Hinata? Would Hinata have asked Yachi to dinner regardless of his answer?_ He glanced up from staring at his sneakers, head still reeling in deep thought. The neighborhood park that he had his first real conversation with Yachi was in his view and he absentmindedly approached it. He plopped down on a swing upon reaching it, his heart sore, his mind swimming, and his body fatigued. _What if he were to… “run into them” on their date?_


	6. oh, it's on.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama successfully infiltrates the date between Hinata and Yachi.
> 
> Surprisingly, it doesn't end it complete disaster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh my god i really don't know what i'm doing what's happening what did i get myself into 
> 
> this fic is now a year old and i got 6 chapters to show for it *hides face in shame*
> 
> i hope you like it?!

Hinata stared hard at the reflection in his bedroom mirror, sighing in defeat. He spent most of the night tossing and turning, his stomach somersaulting in anticipation for his date with Yachi. The dark, puffy circles forming underneath his eyes taunted him. He ran a hand through his hair for the tenth time, wishing he had at least gotten a haircut earlier that morning.

Instead, he scoured the internet for first date tips. He couldn’t admit to Yachi that this was his first date ever, so he’d need to play the part. Most websites he visited had perfunctory advice, like “ _be yourself_ ” and “ _hold doors open for your date._ ” Hinata, disappointed by the fruitlessness of his research, groaned to voice his mounting frustration. 

_If this was Kageyama, no way he’d be doing this. Although, if it were Kageyama instead, maybe the painful pang in his chest would disappear._

-

Yachi’s stew was finally done simmering. She ladled a spoonful gingerly into her mouth – a look of delightful satisfaction emerging on her face. The small girl placed the spoon onto the counter after turning the heat off on the stove, placing the lid on top of the stew pot. 

Yachi glanced at the clock. _Hinata will be at her door in less than half an hour._ She ran her hands under the cool water of the sink’s faucet and scrubbed her fingers with soap. She sent a text to her mother, informing her that she would not be joining her for dinner because of study plans, but dinner was made. 

Pursing her lips as she pondered the selection of clothing in her closet, she pulled out a collared, sleeveless chiffon top. She smiled as she inspected the shirt, remembering her mother had gifted it to her for Christmas. Yachi slipped it on for the first time and admired the flow of the chiffon over her petite torso. Pairing the pink top with a white pair of jeans and a navy, sheer sweater, she beamed at the reflection in the mirror, pleased with her outfit choice. She slipped quickly into the bathroom, applying a light coat of mascara to her lashes and sweeping her bangs into a familiar, small side-ponytail.

She was brushing her teeth when she jumped at a sudden knock at the door. She spat out her toothpaste and rinsing her now trembling mouth. Yachi took one last look at herself in the mirror before flipping off the light switch and exiting the bathroom.

“WOW Yachi-san, you look great!” Hinata gleamed as she opened the front door of her apartment.

“H-hi Hinata,” Yachi greeted the red-head in a stuttered voice, “t-thanks.”

She took a good look at him – his hair was parted on the side, combed, and tidy. He was wearing a pair of black pants ( _maybe his uniform pants?_ ) and a green polo. He draped his jacket over one of his forearms and he continued to gape in awe at the adorable lass standing before him.

“You look great too,” she added before she could stop herself.

Hinata grinned and stepped to the side, offering his free hand to the small, nervous girl.

“Shall we?”

-

Kageyama, deep in his own train of thought, watched as the sun sank into the horizon. He knew the dreaded date would be commencing soon, yet he had no idea how to prevent it. 

He overheard a familiar sound – no, a familiar racket.

“AND THEN, he blasted milk from his nose when I surprised him in the corridor!” 

Hinata’s voice echoed through the neighborhood. He froze mid-step, listening intently for any clues as to where the pair was. There was a moment a silence, probably Yachi responding to Hinata’s idiotic story, followed by the same boisterous voice as before.

“My face had a palm mark for weeks!”

Kageyama sprinted in the opposite direction as the voices, realizing they were getting closer to his position. Seeking a corner of a house for refuge, he peered around to see the pair strolling along the sidewalk.

“Wow, you must really like physical altercations…” Yachi teased in her dainty voice, Kageyama’s heart melting at its delicate sound.

Hinata chuckled. 

“I don’t plan on it, but I think my energy can be taken poorly by certain people,” he mused, rubbing his chin, “I can’t change. It’s who I am.” 

He paused for a moment before continuing.

“You know Nishinoya-san from the team? He’s the exact same way. One time Kiyoko slapped him because he jumped at her in excitement. He wasn’t mad at all! In fact, he was proud and Tanaka-san was even jealous of him.” 

Kageyama could no longer eavesdrop on their conversation as they continued further down the street, voices trailing off into the approaching dusk of evening.

He slowly sauntered from his hiding place, gazing at the two fading into the distance. Cursing himself for the millionth time that day, he began to follow them in slow steps.

-

“It’s going to be crazy, though. A full week of volleyball and no time to rest,” Hinata explained after they placed their orders, “good thing I’m a stamina professional.” He smirked at her.

“I could never do something like that. I’d fall flat on my face out of exhaustion after the second half of the first day!” Yachi giggled.

"Well, we are all pretty used to it. Practice 6 days a week, morning and night, going to school in between... I think the training camp might even be a little easier come to think of it," Hinata smirked, taking a sip of his water.

"So you had practice, even today?"

"Today was an exception. I guess coach had some sort of an emergency that he had to tend to. But yes, normally, we would."

"Wow... I knew clubs were intensive, but I didn't realize..." Yachi began but suddenly froze when she saw a noticeable figure in the side of her vision. 

“Is that… Kageyama-kun?” Yachi squinted through the restaurant window at the silhouette.

Hinata’s mouth dropped the instant he recognized his grumpy teammate. 

“What is he doing here??” Hinata’s voice was tinged with irritation.

“Can he see us?” Yachi questioned as she took a sip of her hot tea.

“I don’t think so. He’s just standing there like a moron. Looks like he’s spacing out,” Hinata observed, huffing and crossing his arms.

“I think maybe we should invite him to join us? He looks… distraught.”

“That’s just the way he always looks,” Hinata fumed and began to rant. “He's so freakin' stupid. I don’t know why he said he didn’t want to come to the ramen shop with me but yet here he-” he stopped himself before he could continue.

Hinata leapt from his seat. 

“I’ll go see if…” he trailed off, leaving the table and his confused date.

 

Outside, Kageyama rubbed his hands together in an attempt to shield them from the creeping cold of night.

 _If he went in there, there’s no way they’d let him intrude…_ he thought as he stared at the sign of the restaurant.

“What the hell?! What are you doing here?!” A shrill voice broke his thought process.

Kageyama’s eyes widened in surprise to see the small orange-haired boy angrily stomping towards him. 

“I’m just on a walk…” Kageyama paused as the decoy reached him, “it’s uh, really nice out…”

“Cut the crap, Bakayama,” Hinata snarled. He almost lunged to grab Kageyama by the collar of his shirt but was able to restrain his impulse, realizing Yachi was probably watching. “What’s wrong? Can’t even get a girl to want to spend time with you on a Saturday night?” 

Kageyama gulped in despair before sensing his own rage bubble to the surface. 

“Don’t flatter yourself, dumbass. I already told you what I am up to, so if you don’t mind, I’ll be off,” Kageyama started to walk past Hinata, shoving his shoulder as he trudged by.

“Wait,” Hinata growled and turned around to face the back of the setter, “why are you even here? I thought you’d have better things to do than hover like a creepy pervert in front of the restaurant I’m in and also happened to have invited you to and you REJECTED my offer-“

“As a matter of fact I do have better things-“

“Oh, shut UP. This is what you wanted, isn’t it?”

Kageyama blinked and spun around. 

“What I wanted?” 

“Yeah. To sabotage my date because you’re jealous that you were too chicken enough to ask her before I did.”

The pair glowered hard at one another, trying to get the other to back down.

“You got some nerve,” Kageyama hissed, stomping to the front door of the ramen shop and yanking it open. 

“What are you doing now?” Hinata barked, following the raven-haired boy.

“Crashing your date,” Kageyama gave him an evil sneer before entering the restaurant.

-

Yachi bit her nails anxiously as she watched from the window. The two were going at it (what else was new) but it was different, because they weren’t at school. There was no volleyball, no studying, just… _them_. She sighed before sipping her tea again. 

_Did Hinata want to go to this restaurant with Kageyama before he turned him down?_

She fidgeted in her seat, suddenly uncomfortable in her own skin. Yachi barely had a moment to contemplate before the two were busting through the front door, making a scene as they reached the table.

“You could have at least held the door open for me,” Hinata huffed before slumping back into his seat.

“Hi Yachi-san,” Kageyama bowed respectfully, “please excuse my intrusion.”

“Not at all! I’m delighted that you’re here too,” she smiled meekly at Kageyama while he pulled up another chair.

The three of them sat in uncomfortable silence – Hinata glaring at his drink, Yachi continuing to chew on her fingernails casting glances back and forth between the boys, and Kageyama gazing vacantly out the window.

“D-did you want to order something, Kageyama-kun?” Yachi offered, longing to do anything in her power to break the silence.

“Nah, it’s okay. I’m not very hungry,” he flashed her a smile, which didn’t escape the close watch of Hinata.

“Who comes to a restaurant and doesn’t order anything?” he growled and stirred his drink with his straw.

“Someone accompanying other hungry people and who just wants to enjoy the company,” Kageyama muttered quietly.

“You should order something, even just a drink or appetizer,” Yachi suggested, wishing the two boys would stop bickering.

“Sure, okay,” he smiled once more at Yachi, flagging down the waiter to place an order for edamame and hot tea.

Hinata groaned and leaned back in his chair.

_This was going to be a long night._

-  
“Uh, if I really had to pick, it’d have to be movie,” Kageyama responded while finishing off his soybeans.

Hinata laughed before agreeing with Kageyama.

“In all honesty, me too.”

Yachi gawked in disbelief at both of them. 

“Are you joking?? The book is always better. There’s no budget on creating the scenery or clothing or anything, so the author is able to convey so much more through their writing. They can paint the scenes with so much more efficiency and the rest is left to your imagination. They don’t have to fit their story into a 2-hour time block so they can add extra details to place you right in the action and I think that’s wonderful,” she smiled thoughtfully into her empty ramen bowl.

“Eh? Who needs adjectives and descriptions? Just do the work for me by putting it in a movie,” Kageyama replied and placed his hands behind the back of his head.

“Yeah! It’s so much better that way. I need visuals,” Hinata added, smirking at the raven-haired boy.

Yachi sighed, defeated by the two simpletons.

“Okay, okay. Superpowers?”

“Flying,” the boys proclaimed in unison.

“Boy, you guys really do have similar tastes,” Yachi laughed while scratching the back of her head, “I’d just want mind-reading powers. I’m always wondering about the crazy things people think about.” She switched to the next topic.

“What about siblings?” 

“I got a sister! She’s adorable and still quite young. She has even more energy than I do,” Hinata grinned, placing his elbows on the table and his chin on his hands.

“Only child,” Kageyama murmured.

Yachi twirled a finger through her hair. 

“Me too.”

“Don’t you guys get lonely though?” Hinata asked before gulping down the remainder of his drink. 

“Not really,” Kageyama replied, staring into Hinata’s wide, auburn eyes, “when you’re an only child, you’re kinda used to being alone. It’s not sad or anything, you’re just, I don’t know, independent. You learn to entertain yourself.”

“My mom works and travels a ton, so in that respect, I get lonely, but, as Kageyama-kun says, its just something that you grow accustomed to,” Yachi also looked at Hinata.

Hinata’s eyes swam with sadness as he glanced between his dates. 

“Whenever you guys are lonesome, call me okay? I can ride my bike as fast as I could drive a car. I’m serious.”

Kageyama and Yachi gawked at Hinata. 

Yachi looked down and blushed. “Thanks,” she whispered.

“Yeah… thanks,” Kageyama swallowed hard, his eyes still trained on Hinata’s.

-

“Even though this wasn’t what I expected _at all_ ,” Hinata declared, shooting a glare towards Kageyama as the three walked back to Yachi’s, “it was still really fun.”

“Unexpected can be good,” Kageyama shot back.

“I think tonight was really fun, I enjoyed getting to know the both of you,” Yachi murmured, half to herself, half to the two boys.

The group entered the apartment building, going up a few flights of stairs – Kageyama and Hinata subconsciously racing one another. They all approached Yachi’s front door, awkwardly standing in the small hallway of her apartment building. 

“W-would it be okay if we did it again sometime?” Yachi squeaked as her glance timidly shot down to her shoes.

Hinata and Kageyama beamed.

“Yes!” they almost shouted, as if it were a competition as to who could answer first.

Yachi held back an eager grin as she looked at the boys.

“Okay,” she twirled the bottom of her blonde locks, unsure of the implications her words possessed.

“Well, goodnight, Yachi-san,” Hinata murmured while leaning in to kiss her cheek.

Kageyama, upon seeing what his teammate was about to do, quickly leaned into her other side in an attempt to beat Hinata to the kiss. They both ended up kissing her at the same time, her face erupting in a hot, red flush.

“T-thank you,” she stammered, at a loss of how to reply.

Hinata chortled and Kageyama returned her blush, his blue eyes darting up to the ceiling.

“See you later,” Hinata bounded down the hallway in a flash.

“Yes, l-later,” Kageyama followed his teammate quickly, leaving a startled Yachi to watch the two vanish from her sight.

-

“Why did you refuse my offer when you really did want to go?” Hinata turned to Kageyama and made a face as they strode from Yachi’s apartment complex, “and why did you have to kiss Yachi, too? Totally stepping on my game.”

Kageyama scoffed, wishing the other boy would just drop it.

“I don’t know.”

“I think you do know,” Hinata prodded in his trademark persistent way. Kageyama ignored him.

“C’mon Kageyama, tell me,” Hinata strolled over to the bike rack while the other boy followed, glaring silently.

“Tell me or I’m not letting you come on our next date,” Hinata warned, squatting down and unlocking his bike.

Kageyama huffed and turned to tower over Hinata. 

“It’s as you affectionately say,” he cooed sarcastically, “I’m an idiot.”

Hinata rose from his squat, matching the intensity of Kageyama’s intimidating demeanor as he stood. He grabbed Kageyama’s collar, forcing the taller boy’s face down to his level. The pair stood wordlessly, before Hinata leaned in and planted his lips harshly against Kageyama’s. 

Kageyama let out a surprised squeak, but Hinata refused to let him out of his grasp. Hinata kept his lips firm against the setter’s lips, opening his mouth somewhat in an attempt to deepen their kiss. His tongue flicked Kageyama’s top lip before prodding it’s way hastily into the other boy’s mouth. 

It was gross and messy. Hinata had watched plenty of shows that had kissing, but the thought was better than the actual execution. His teeth clanked on Kageyama’s clumsily as his tongue entered the raven-haired boy’s mouth. Kageyama, at last, kissed him back, bringing his tongue to touch Hinata’s. They swirled together as if playing tag, Hinata forcing Kageyama up against the building wall. His breathing became faster, ravenous for more. Saliva pooled on the sides of the decoy’s mouth as he rubbed tongues hungrily with his teammate, the sounds of their kissing echoing into the air. He released Kageyama’s collar, his fingers grazing along Kageyama’s shoulders before settling behind his neck. Kageyama responded by wrapping his arms around Hinata’s waist, trying to keep up with the desperate kisses from Hinata. Hinata hummed into his mouth, head reeling from the pleasure overload from the sensation of Kageyama’s slender fingers on his waist. They made out for another minute, before Hinata pulled away from the kiss, wiping the side of his mouth with his hand. A few moments passed before either of them budged, each boy avoiding eye contact with the other.

“Uh, well, okay, good night!” Hinata broke away from Kageyama’s hold, ran to his bike, jumped on, and rode off into the night.

Kageyama sustained his position against the wall, plagued by intense déjà vu and utterly thunderstruck.


	7. something like that

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> kageyachi 4 the masses
> 
> hinata is MIA?!
> 
> the first part is a future time skip (yeah i know tanaka's bday technically isn't in the summer/fall but i moved it bc i'm mad with power) and then the story resumes in present time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i've decided to make my chapters shorter so i can update more frequently. and i'm not worried about making them long enough etc bc that's daunting ya know. this chapter is kinda a bridge (sorry)
> 
> also!! i had to draw [the boys kissing yachi](https://noyaboya.tumblr.com/post/161035923870/rip-yachi-i-have-a-hc-that-hinata-has-the-most%C2%A0) from the previous chapter
> 
> thanks for the love!!

Blinding sunlight fired through the shades of the dim room. Yachi crinkled her nose and squeezed her eyes shut, annoyed at the rude and intrusive awakening. She rubbed her lips together, wincing in surprise at the raw pain. With a hazy memory, she recalled Tanaka’s birthday and staying up to an ungodly hour the previous night. The rest of her memories and actions were a complete blur. As she yanked her comforter up to hide her head from the penetrating sunshine, she brushed against a shoulder that didn’t belong to her. Yachi’s eyes shot open as she let out a panicked shriek. _Who the hell was in bed with her?!_

She faced a full-head of lush, black hair. The person didn’t budge, despite Yachi’s loud squeal. Instead, the mysterious figure inhaled in slow, even breaths, still in a deep slumber. Yachi rubbed her forehead, an excruciating headache settling into her temples. 

_What. Happened. Last. Night._

-

Kageyama arrived an hour before practice was slated to start, partly because he couldn’t sleep but mostly because he wanted to avoid any early morning run-ins with Hinata. He still had trouble… grasping what had happened between them Saturday night.

He couldn’t say that he didn’t like it. The friction, the passion, the desire… it was all warranted. What he couldn’t fathom was that it was _Hinata_ of all people. Hinata, the idiot who took every and any opportunity to turn their mundane activities into a race. The one who vomited all over Tanaka-senpai’s lap because he was anxious about a practice match. That Hinata was the same Hinata who crashed lips with him, provoking unexplainable feelings to gush out of Kageyama like a volcanic eruption. 

Kageyama plopped down on the front step of the gymnasium, folding his arms over his knees and sinking his head in between his thighs. He remained still, time whizzing by faster than he had hoped.

“Oi! You’re not going back to sleep already, are you?” a booming voice questioned, shaking Kageyama from his extensive trance.

“No… sorry,” Kageyama mumbled and jumped to his feet, moving out of the way for Daichi to unlock the gym.

“Good. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to worry about you after the grimace you wore all of Friday,” he stated, keys turning into the door’s lock, “you got that sorted out with a restful weekend, I presume?” Daichi flung the doors open.

“Yeah, something like that,” Kageyama muttered incoherently to himself, following the captain into the gym. 

Within the next few minutes, more teammates filed into the gym. Kageyama preoccupied himself with warming up, serving, and tossing to himself. When Daichi called the team for stretches, he glanced uneasily around for an orange tuft of hair.

But there wasn’t one in sight.

“Arms! And… one, two three, four….” Daichi began to count as some of the more awake teammates joined in. 

_Hinata has never missed practice since the school year began._

-

Class was dismissed for lunchtime and had been for ten minutes before Kageyama even noticed. He yawned loudly, the absence of sleep the past few nights weighing hard on him. 

“Hey Kageyama, you alright?” a classmate sitting adjacent to him asked.

Kageyama grunted in response, pulling out his bento box.

“I’m just asking, because you kinda look like hell.”

Kageyama scoffed, shooting him a death glare.

“Who the hell asked you?” he snarled.

The student quickly turned away, regretting saying anything to the grumpy boy next to him.

Kageyama angrily devoured his sandwich in silence. 

_Did he have anything to do with Hinata missing morning practice? Would Hinata even go to such lengths to avoid him?_

He was overcome with the urge to see if Hinata was in class, arguing with himself as to whether that was a good idea or not. Kageyama cursed out loud, frightening the students around him. Without apologizing he set off for the drink machine, using that as an excuse to check on Hinata. He bought a carton of milk and walked aimlessly in the hallway in an attempt not be too obvious. 

Kageyama loomed around Hinata’s classroom and peered in through the window. 

Empty seat. 

Kageyama frowned.

_Could he be with Yachi?_

He trudged over to her classroom, praying to not have a repeat and agonizing realization that they were bonding without him. His eyes scanned through Yachi’s class for the pair. Alas, he only saw Yachi. Taking an anxious gulp, he opened the door and entered.

“Hey Yachi-san,” he approached her with a smile as he pulled an empty seat next to her desk, “how are you?”

“Oh Kageyama-kun,” she sniggered, feeling more comfortable around him than ever, “we have already technically been on a date so you can drop the honorifics.” She grinned at him, finishing up her lunch. 

“Well, the same goes for you,” Kageyama retorted playfully, “you can even call me Tobio if you’re up for it.”

“That’s going to take some warming up to,” Yachi replied, twirling a finger through her hair. 

“How was the rest of your weekend?” Kageyama was too nervous to begin the conversation with questions regarding Hinata’s whereabouts. 

“It was really nice. I just finished the my homework, cleaned the apartment, and then relaxed,” Yachi listed on her fingers, “my mom didn’t buy that I was tutoring on a Saturday night, though… I can tell that she’s fishing for details.”

“Ah, yeah, I understand hiding things from family. You could just tell her that you’ve made a few friends and they invited you out for… uh, volleyball?”

Yachi laughed.

“Yeah, no, I don’t think that would work. It would be weird to change my fake alibi to another fake alibi,” Yachi placed her head in her hands and groaned, “I’ll figure out how to tell her about tutoring and the volleyball club in due time.”

“H-have you heard from Hinata, by chance?” Kageyama abruptly let his burning question slip from his lips, “he wasn’t at morning practice and that is very unlike him.” He nervously played with the unravelling hem of his jacket sleeve.

“Yeah, I texted him a little bit ago when he didn’t show up for our lunchtime tutoring session,” she explained, latching the lid onto her bento box, unaware of Kageyama’s growing concern, "I think he's ill."

“Ah, I see, makes sense,” Kageyama let out a strained exhale. 

"Are you okay, Kageyama?" Yachi asked, realizing his obvious discontentment, "what's wrong?"

Kageyama's head drooped down.

"Nothing really, I'm just..." he trailed off, not sure himself why he was so melancholy.

"Did something happen?"

_Yes._

"Not... well, we just had a... fight. An... unexpected one," Kageyama bit his lip. 

"But don't you guys... kinda fight all the time?"

"This one was different," Kageyama's eyes went dark.

"I'm sorry to hear that, I hope it doesn't negatively affect your friendship..." 

_It might._

"You guys seem to really compliment each other, you shouldn't worry so much. I can't see you two falling apart-" Yachi stopped herself as it dawned on her that Kageyama wasn't listening. 

The two sat without a word for what seemed like hours. Yachi kept flicking her eyes to and away from Kageyama, her anxiety building in the wake of the intense stillness.

Kageyama broke the silence at last. 

“Speaking of tutoring, um,” Kageyama continued, trying to appear unperturbed by Hinata’s absence, ”well, my grades are just as bad a Hinata’s… and I won’t be able to go to the Tokyo training camp either if I fail any of my classes… do you… you wouldn’t happen to… have room for another student in your review session?”

Yachi’s eyes brightened, both relieved and charmed by the raven-haired boy’s familiar bashfulness.

“Of course I do.”


	8. yikes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama needs to know if kissing Yachi is the better or the same than kissing Hinata. For, uh, scientific purposes...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, so i'm changing some of the tags because i was feeling like my previous idea for the story wasn't going anywhere. i'm really excited though!! the beginning is the same as last chapter, starting with a future time skip and then resuming in present time. warning/heads up: contains canon divergence, light verbal abuse, and underage drinking in this chapter. 
> 
>  
> 
> thanks again for the love and support!!

Yachi and Hinata sat crosslegged, facing each other with a bottle of sake between them on the bed.

"Are you sure you want to do this? I've never really drank or anything before," Hinata mumbled, kicking his shoes off. The booming sounds of the birthday party shook the closed door of the bedroom.

Yachi nodded solemnly, eyes glazed over in defeat.

Hinata opened the bottle and took a swig from it. His face contorted as hung his tongue out from his mouth, disgusted.

"Yeecchhh!!!" he cried, nearly dropping the bottle, "people actually enjoy drinking this nasty stuff?" he licked his hand in an attempt to rid himself of the strong taste.

_"You're such a slut."_  
_"Stay away from that Yachi girl. She's abhorrent."_  
_"She sleeps with just about anyone, huh?"_  
_"You'll end up screwed up just like me."_  
_"She's a whore, haven't you heard?"_  
_"Knocked up."_  
_"Alone and miserable."_  
_"Just you wait."_

Hurtful fragments of memories resonated in Yachi's mind, clouding her judgement. She grabbed the bottle from Hinata's loose grasp and almost downed it. It took everything not to mirror Hinata’s juvenile reaction to the sharp flavor.

"WHOA! Yachi! Slow down!!" Hinata snatched the bottle back.

"I wasn't done," Yachi whined, still shuddering from the piercing taste. She grasped weakly for the sake.

"You can have more, just wait a little, okay? It's a party, you don't want to end up barfing, do you?"

Yachi pouted, the effects of drinking alcohol on an empty stomach creeping up on her.

"Fine," she muttered.

“Down the hatch!” Hinata smiled at her before finishing off bottle. Yachi couldn’t find herself able to return his toothy grin.

-

To call Hinata embarrassed would be a gross understatement.

Hinata, who, with all his might, faked sick and somehow pulled it off, sank unmoving in his bed. His mom had fallen for the classic “heating up the thermometer before popping it in your mouth” trick and believed Hinata to be running a high fever. He even applied some blush he found in his mother’s bathroom drawer for added effect.

He didn’t know if he could ever face Kageyama after what transpired Saturday night. This time was different than their first… kiss.

This time, instead of pressing a ephemeral kiss to Kageyama’s lips in a moment of confusion, Hinata had slobbered all over the other boy’s mouth in a heat of passion. 

_It wasn’t normal._

At least, Hinata didn’t think so.

He groaned into his pillow as he replayed the scene in his head. He recalled the firm setter’s chest pressed against his and how every touch elicited a tinge of electricity. Kageyama’s hands, the ones that were so perfect and meticulous while handling a volleyball, applied the same strict attention to detail when wrapping around Hinata’s waist, coaxing him into the kiss. He continued to daydream about tongueing Kageyama's mouth again until a buzz from his cellphone yanked him from his fantasy. 

Hinata stared at his screen, relieved (but, in all honesty. also slightly disappointed) that it wasn’t the boy he was just kissing in his imagination.

 _Hinata, u ok? sick? weird not seeing u at practice!_

It was Tanaka. Hinata tapped away on his phone to write a reply.

_yeah, sick w/fever. maybe i’ll be able to make it 2morrow_

_bummer, ill tell coach. hopefully c u 2morrow_

Hinata placed his phone on his nightstand and continued to process his thoughts and actions with Kageyama.

 _Why? Why had he done that? Wasn't the first time they kissed enough??_ He had never really felt the need to make out with a boy the same way he felt with girls, yet there he was, treating Kageyama the same he would a girl.

He flopped onto his stomach and kicked his feet repeatedly against his mattress.

The strong, sexual attraction Hinata felt towards Kageyama was scary and unknown, like seeing a flame burn hot for the first time on a stove.

Hinata could never admit all of this to Kageyama. He felt that the make-out session was damaging enough, and he could never, ever let Kageyama know how much he liked it. 

Or Yachi. Yachi could never know about all of this. She might want to stop going on dates with them, or worse, find someone else who was normal and didn’t feel the need to kiss boys.

-

“See, if you write it like this, then it’ll be easy to go back to and fill in,” Yachi instructed, guiding Kageyama through his notes.

“Ah, okay,” Kageyama scribbled her pointers down in the margins of his notebook.

Practice had ended an hour ago, and the two sat in the public library by their neighborhood, knee-deep in studying.

“By the way, Yachi, are you going to become the next club manager? I can’t help but notice your intense focus to learn the game,” Kageyama murmured, his pencil scratching away at his notes.

Yachi let out a timid chuckle.

“When people ask me directly like that, I get some anxiety,” she continued to chuckle off her nerves, “but I do like volleyball. It’s fascinating, so…”

Kageyama glanced up at her expectedly.

“So maybe,” she answered at last, closing her notebook.

Kageyama grinned, finishing off his notes.

“Well, I hope so. If there’s anything I can do to help you make your decision, let me know, okay?”

Yachi gulped, uncertain about the connotations of his offer.

“Okay.”

Kageyama closed his books and began to deposit them into his bag.

“Can I walk you home, Yachi?”

Yachi’s eyes widened and she gave a small nod, unable to vocalize her strong approval.

The two left the table after packing up, exiting the library. Kageyama jammed his hands in his pockets while Yachi played with her fingers as they walked in silence.

Kageyama’s mind swam with panicked questions. _Would he see Hinata tomorrow? Would their dynamic be completely different? How long would they have to avoid each other before they could brush the incident off? What would Yachi say if she knew? Would kissing Yachi be like kissing Hinata? Would it be better because she was a girl?_

“Kageyama?” Yachi noticed the twisted features Kageyama had splayed on his face.

“Y-yeah?” he replied, kicking a rock as he passed it.

“You and Hinata are going to be okay,” Yachi assured and wrapped her fingers together in a ball, partially reading Kageyama’s mind.

“I appreciate the sentiment, but I really don’t know this time. I think our relationship might really be damaged,” he pursed his lips in frustration.

“Could… could I ask what happened? It was something that happened between Saturday night and this morning?” Yachi bit her lip, “he did mention something about inviting you to the ramen shop before asking me…”

Kageyama froze.

“Uh, yeah, I think he’s just confused. Really confused. And taking it out on me.”

Yachi frowned, not persuaded by Kageyama’s pedestrian hypothesis.

“Do you think maybe… he wanted to ask you on a date?”

Kageyama cackled to a degree that Yachi discerned he was hiding something.

“Hinata… Hinata just likes the drama. The thrill. He probably said that to gauge your reaction,” Kageyama fibbed, kicking himself for making Hinata look like a devious character, “besides, it doesn’t matter. I don’t like him like that, but… I do…” he paused, taking a deep breath before adding quietly, “I do like you.” His eyes fixated onto Yachi’s lips, longing to act on his impulse to lunge towards her in a sweet embrace. Plus his curiosity about kissing her was getting the best of him.

_Who would feel better to kiss?_

Yachi stopped in her tracks. He apartment complex was only in a few steps, but she couldn’t will herself to move any further.

“I’m sorry, that was an abrupt confession,” Kageyama continued, scratching the nape of his neck and halting a few paces in front of her, “I just think you’re amazing and you don’t give yourself enough credit.”

Kageyama’s words reverberated joyfully within Yachi the same way as Kiyoko’s words previously did. She felt a wave of jitters wash over her as she became very aware that Kageyama was an exceptionally sweet, handsome boy.

“Eh… uh… Nngh…” Yachi could only manage strange sounds.

Kageyama swooped down to her level and planted a tender kiss on her lips in a fleeting instant. Yachi swore that she fainted in that moment.

_Soft…_

Kageyama’s stomach lurched violently from a swarm of butterflies.

“Thanks for the tutoring lesson,” he breathed, still lingering close to Yachi’s face as every hair on her body stood on end.

She was in a daze before a voice abruptly interrupted it.

“So this is who you’ve been ‘tutoring,’ hmm?” 

Yachi yelped at the sound of the familiar voice. _Her mother?!_

Madoka left the entrance to the complex to approach the pair.

“I’m Yachi’s mother, Yachi Madoka. Pleased to meet you,” she was smiling, but it wasn’t a friendly smile.

“K-k-kageyama… T-to-bio,” Kageyama sputtered before backing several meters from Yachi.

“Uh huh, “ Madoka half-sneered and then set her piercing eyes on Yachi, “come, now. It’s time for dinner. Kageyama was just leaving. Right?”

Yachi couldn’t help but notice her mother omit any honorifics.

“R-right,” Kageyama echoed, whirling around on his heel and darting away as Yachi watched him, mortified.

Her mother started for the apartment complex, snatching the mail on her way to the entrance and accomplishing the reason she was outside of the apartment in the first place. Yachi remained immobile.

“You coming? I went to all the trouble to make dinner for you, because I haven’t seen you for a few days,” Madoka growled, shooting another glare at her daughter.

“Y-yes mom,” Yachi forced herself with all of her power to follow her mother into the building.

_Oh shit._


	9. blame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Madoka forces Yachi to finally admits what she's been up to at school.
> 
> Spoiler alert: it doesn't go over well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> angst ahoy
> 
> warning: verbal abuse present in the chapter

Madoka hadn’t mumbled a single word to Yachi since they entered their home. Yachi sat across from her seething parent at the table, unable to even nibble at her meal. 

_That didn’t just happen, did it? Did she just receive her first kiss only to be interrupted by the worst person imaginable in that situation – her mother?_

It was like a scene scripted from a shit drama.

Her heart sank with every tick of the wall clock hanging above her and she was beginning to bore a hole into her dinner with her pensive stare. Yachi exhaled an agonized sigh, unaware of its loud and resounding effect in enveloping the quiet apartment. Her mom visibly flinched, unable to stay quiet any longer.

“How long?” Madoka inquired almost inaudibly.

Yachi glanced up from her plate.

“Huh?”

“How long?” Yachi’s mother repeated herself, this time with a trace of resentment.

Yachi wasn’t sure what the ‘how long’ referred to.

“How long what?” she asked slowly, her eyes avoiding the wary watch of her mom.

Madoka scoffed, slamming her hands on the table.

“HOW LONG WERE YOU PLANNING ON HIDING THIS FROM ME?!” she roared, her fists clenched in tight balls.

“I-I wasn’t. I mean, I wasn’t hiding anything…” she whimpered, taking her glance down to the napkin folded in her lap and chomping on her bottom lip. 

If Madoka’s fierce temper wasn’t ignited before, it was now.

“BULLSHIT!” she flew up from her seat, glowering at her petrified daughter, “ARE YOU GONNA TELL ME NEXT THAT YOU WEREN’T KISSING HIM? THAT YOU WERE PRACTICING SOME SORT OF VERTICAL CPR OR A SCENE FROM A PLAY YOU’RE BOTH IN?!”

Yachi’s eyes betrayed her as they began flooding with hot tears.

“No…” she wiped her running nose with the back of her hand.

_Why did she feel so... guilty?_

“THEN WHAT?! What do you have to say for yourself?!” Madoka was nearly foaming at the mouth with rage, but she managed to control the volume of her voice, recognizing that neighbors might be privy to their conversation. Yachi was trembling in her seat now, terrified of any further aggressive outbursts from her mom. Madoka hesitated but continued to scowl at Yachi, allowing silence to fill the room again. Tension wafted into the air, ensuring that her next statement would be effective and understood.

“Before you know it, you’ll be knocked up and lose everything you’ve worked so hard for. You’ll be alone, miserable, and full of regret,” she muttered, crossing her arms hastily in disgust.

The harsh timbre of her mom’s voice resonated sharply in Yachi’s ears like daggers. Beads of angry sweat began to form on her flushed forehead. 

“NO!” Yachi cried, her hands grasping the tablecloth, “I WILL NOT. I’M NOT LIKE YOU.”

Madoka sneered at her. Her hand twitched with the longing to strike her daughter across the face for that provoking remark. She hesitated when she heard the tiny voice resume speaking.

“That was the FIRST TIME he had ever kissed me and all I wanted to do was help him because he has really poor study habits and can’t go to volleyball camp with his current grades and there’s another kid too who is in the same predicament so all I do is host a tutoring session in the library or in the classroom at school and the only reason I was alone with him today was because the other kid was sick and I don’t even like him like that and I think the timing was really unfortunate but you have to believe me that I’m not attracted to him,” Yachi spouted. She gasped for air at last, having not inhaled once during her explanation. 

Her mother was quiet for a few fleeting moments.

“Uh huh, and how did you meet these two… boys?” she probed, resuming her piercing questions.

“It’s a school, mom! You meet people in class and-“

“But you’re in a college prep class. Boys like that don’t sound like they should be in your class,” Madoka snarled at her daughter’s purposeful vagueness.

“Well they’re not, but-“

“So how’d you meet them?” her mom interrupted with malice, her patience wearing thinner by the second.

“I WENT TO A VOLLEYBALL PRACTICE,” Yachi bellowed, her frustration mounting from the interrogation, “I just went because the current manager asked me to and she’s leaving next year, so she was looking for a replacement. And they were players, so yeah, I met them along with the rest of the team.”

“And you suddenly harbor a secret passion for volleyball? Are you kidding me?” Madoka cackled at the ridiculous thought.

“Maybe! I don’t know! I haven’t even agreed to anything!” Yachi threw her hands up, “there, that's everything. Now can you just… leave me alone?!!”

Yachi’s mom abruptly snatched her dishes from the table, stomping to the kitchen and chucking them into the sink. She started towards her bedroom, her brown eyes not once gracing her distraught daughter.

“Good. The last thing you need is to bring down team spirit with your mousy attitude,” she hissed before adding, “and do yourself a favor. Keep your legs closed. Or else you really will end up just like me.” She yanked open her bedroom door and slammed it behind her, rattling their entire apartment like a high-magnitude earthquake.

Yachi, abandoned in the dim dining nook, placed her head in her hands and proceeded to sob.

-

The frigid air of the dawn constricted Hinata’s lungs as he biked frantically to practice. He had dawdled that morning – trying to convince his mother that he was still sick, her rejecting his plea to stay home in light of impending final exams, him sulking in his room for a good half hour, unable to will himself to move…

Hinata lobbed the bicycle to his side as he passed the bike rack, his chest heaving hard. After hastily securing his lock, he bounded for the entrance of the gym. He peeked his head in for an opportunity to sneak in, but his presence didn't escape the watchful eye of Ukai.

“Oi! Hinata! You’re late!” barked the coach, “get in here and join us.”

Kageyama’s ears instinctively perked up at the mention of Hinata’s name, but he negated to look up from the small area of floor he was gazing upon while he stretched in the circle of his teammates. Hinata mumbled an apology to Ukai as he slipped on his volleyball shoes. 

The raven-haired boy no longer felt the same caliber of dread that he experienced at this time yesterday. His heart had even skipped a beat, knowing he’d be in Hinata’s company. Kageyama, although he would never, ever admit it, was acting painfully shy. 

_In all honesty, making out with Hinata seemed trivial in comparison to kissing Yachi and then being caught by her mom._

Hinata sauntered over to the group, carefully avoiding eye contact with the setter. 

When the group concluded their stretches, Daichi swiftly pulled Hinata aside while the rest began to line up for drills.

“Hey, Hinata, I just wanted to check in with you,” Daichi murmured, low enough so no one else on the team could hear him, “what’s going on? I understand missing practice because of sickness but you’re late? You’ve never been late.”

“Oh I’m fine, first time for everything I guess,” Hinata proclaimed nervously, swatting the air and Daichi’s concern away, “I um… was finishing up homework early this morning. Finals, am I right?”

Daichi glanced at him, skepticism swimming in his expression. 

“Well, as long as you’re okay…” Daichi began to scratch the back of his head, “I’m relieved that you’re taking your schoolwork so seriously. Wouldn’t want to miss out on Tokyo because of your grades, eh?” He nudged the first year in good humor, deciding to drop the subject for now because the team was already commencing receive drills. 

Hinata jogged and joined the back of the line. 

“You’re awfully quiet this morning, Shouyou!” Nishinoya yelled from behind as he grabbed Hinata’s shoulders, using them as a boost while launching himself high into the air.

“GAH!” Hinata yelped from shock, faltering backwards, “I’m sorry, I’m just… er, recovering from my illness…”

“You look fine to me,” Tsukishima cut in with a shrewd smirk. 

“Shut up,” Hinata snapped, already on edge from fear that the team would figure out the true nature of why he avoided school and practice yesterday, “you only speak when you think you can start a fight or harass someone, don’t you? What’s your problem?” Hinata added with a voice shaking with anger. Nishinoya backed away from the two of them, realizing that he may inadvertently incited the quarrel. Any other day, Hinata could shrug off vindictive comments from Tsukishima. Unfortunately, today, he was playing right into Tsukishima’s hands.

“Yeah, you nailed it. You’re quite perceptive, have you considered a future in detective work?” Tsukishima retorted, heavy sarcasm hanging on his words.

“Maybe if you didn’t act like such a vile jerk all of the time, you might actually have a friend,” Hinata barked and began to size him up.

“Hinata…” Tanaka interrupted in an attempt to halt the mounting spat between the two, “take it down a notch, okay?”

“Oh, so now I’m getting in trouble for defending myself against that asshole?! Why doesn’t anyone else speak up when he’s being like this? I mean, practice would probably be interrupted every 2 seconds because he’s 50% rude and 50% judgmental, but still…” Hinata was fuming at this point, his face contorted into an angry frown.

“Hinata…” Tanaka started again.

It was no use. Hinata was inching closer to an irked Tsukishima in his malevolence. In that instant, Kageyama lost control of his body.

_Maybe he truly wanted to stop Hinata from being a dick, maybe he was jealous that Hinata was creeping too close to Tsukishima, or maybe he wanted to just touch him._

_More than likely, maybe a combination of all of the above._

“WHA-“ Hinata was interrupted the instant he felt a soft hand clasp onto his shoulder. He froze abruptly in his stance, unable to do so much as breathe. 

“Hinata, calm down. That’s enough.”

Kageyama’s deep, husky voice rang throughout Hinata's senses, his entire body involuntarily relaxing at the melodious sound. Thoughts of their kisses on Saturday night swamped his mind as his heart pounded out of tempo. The red head spun around, looking at Kageyama with bewildered eyes. 

“OI! We don’t have time for idle chatter! I have every practice mapped out between now and the Spring High tournament and I didn’t leave any room for pointless arguments!” Ukai bellowed, pausing his spikes to Ennoshita, whose turn it was to receive in the drill, “Tsukishima, Hinata, pretend like you get along!”

“S-sorry, coach,” Hinata sputtered.

Tsukishima nodded at Ukai and side-eyed Hinata with contempt. Ukai resumed the drill.

After watching Ennoshita unsuccessfully dive for a ball, Hinata’s skin prickled.

Kageyama’s hand was still rested on his shoulder.

Hinata shot a him a frown. The hand didn't bring the same comfort to him as it normally would. 

“So now you’re defending Tsukishima?” Hinata whispered in a wounded voice.

“No, I’m keeping you from continuing to make an ass out of yourself in front of everyone,” Kageyama growled into the decoy’s ear.

Hinata shrugged away from Kageyama’s lingering grasp.

“Don’t touch me again,” he snarled between gritted teeth.

Kageyama retracted his hand, astonished at Hinata’s adverse reaction. Hinata moved to join Yamaguchi a few positions up in line, his eyes focused straight ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm really, really sorry yachi. i still love you.
> 
> i almost entitled this chapter, ‘vertical CPR’ but i abstained *snorts*
> 
> time skips will resume next chapter!


	10. friction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama is a horny, horny teenager when he's drunk. 
> 
> And a bit of backstory between Yachi and her mother is finally revealed!
> 
> Warning: this chapter contains sexual content, skip most of the first part if you want, the only important part is towards the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the first portion of the story takes place in the future, the second resumes in present time.
> 
> i actually decided to bump this story up to a mature rating due to sexual content and language. so yeah, needless to say i'm getting braver and am juiced about it!!

Kageyama slammed the sliding glass door behind him as he exited to the backyard. Hinata yelped at the sudden obstruction in his path as he followed the fuming setter.

“Kageyaaaamaaa~” Hinata belted out as he reopened the squeaky sliding door to the outside, his call completely ignored by the retreating raven-haired boy.

The neighborhood was thick with nocturnal silence, which made Hinata’s voice seem that much more thunderous.

Kageyama sustained his angry pacing away from the decoy.

Hinata, not able to take a hint from Kageyama’s crossly reticent actions, scampered up behind the boy and tackled him.

They crashed against the fence, Kageyama roaring in rage. 

“WHAT THE FUCK.”

Hinata giggled wickedly, satisfied and vindicated by his actions receiving a reaction at last.

“Kageyaaam-AH!!” Hinata’s melody was interrupted by Kageyama wheeling around and abruptly winding his fist into the front of his shirt. The setter hoisted the orange-haired boy up in one fluid motion and banged him once more into the fence, his grasp unwavering. 

“GAH!” Hinata cried as his fingers hopelessly scratched at the clenched hand presently coiled against his torso.

Kageyama continued to crush the smaller boy up against the fence, his arm at full extension. Deafening quiet engulfed the boys once again as Kageyama’s unrelenting glare impaled Hinata’s bright, amber eyes. The echoes of the party barely tinged their ears as they lingered alone in the corner of the backyard. 

Hinata was growing increasingly restless with their stare-off by the second.

“Are you gonna kill me? Hurry up if you are,” Hinata grumbled, his hands decisively falling in defeat at his sides.

Kageyama leaned in closer with his rigid stare, his labored breaths puffing against Hinata’s tousled bangs.

“This is a really weird murder, can you-“ Hinata started, but was caught off when Kageyama shoved his mouth against his. His kiss was impatient – his tongue halfway down Hinata’s throat before Hinata comprehended what was transpiring.  
Hinata strained to heave away the larger boy, but Kageyama had prepared for that possibility and was already bracing himself. He thrust Hinata harder against the fence in response, tongue traipsing around every crevice of Hinata’s mouth. 

_What the fuck, indeed._

After a few defiant wiggles of a struggle, the decoy opened himself up to the kiss at last, his convictions gone from a night of heavy drinking. He pushed his tongue experimentally against Kageyama’s, earning a satisfied moan from the other boy. 

“C-closer,” Kageyama choked out between kisses.

Hinata nodded in compliance, as if under Kageyama’s lustful spell. He wrapped his legs around Kageyama’s waist and propped himself up, straining to be at equal level with Kageyama. The raven-haired boy’s death grip finally released from Hinata’s chest, his hands now making a beeline for Hinata’s slender hips. Hinata stretched his arms to wrap around Kageyama’s neck, his back still firmly pressed against the fence, propping him up for support. Kageyama’s lips broke from Hinata’s as he kissed his way down to his neck, teething at Hinata’s collarbone, eliciting endless quakes of shivers from the orange-haired boy. Kageyama smiled against Hinata’s skin, and when his teammate was least expecting it, ground his hips hard into Hinata’s. The decoy gasped with pleasure - delightful, errant sensations reverberating throughout his body. Hinata’s figure reduced to acting on impulse and instinct, his mind wiped blank from desire writhing indulgently under Kageyama’s clutch. Kageyama captured Hinata’s collarbone one last time, sucking forcefully before returning to his mouth, his kisses harsher than before.

Hinata’s mind was reeling rampant. He told himself time and time again that doing this with Kageyama wasn’t okay. They hadn’t so much as brushed shoulders since the night of their date with Yachi. It appeared as an unspoken agreement yet here they were, grinding hungrily into each other, mouths locked in a resilient and passionate embrace.

The boys were completely oblivious to the squeak emitted from the door, quite entranced by each other’s touch. Yachi, who was holding in her impending vomit, yanked open the back door in a drunken flurry. She tripped to the side, away from the door, landing on her knees. Her gaze fell to the left as she spotted two figures in the corner, engaging in some deep tonsil hockey. She saw carrot-colored tufts of hair that emerged as brilliant as the sun even in the pitch black of night, mostly obstructed by a taller silhouette. When she realized who the two outlines were, her face fell in a stupefied horror. 

“EEEHHHH???” she screeched out loud, before clutching her stomach in discomfort and spewing bile all over the grass in front of her. 

-  
Yachi lay wide-awake in bed, having a staring contest with the ceiling of her room.

She was terrified to close her eyes, because every time she did, her mother’s perversely disapproving face would appear. 

_‘Or else you really will end up just like me.’_

The harsh words picked at her heart like a stubborn fiddle. Yachi’s sunken eyes threatened to release a flood of tears each time the phrase echoed in her head.

Yachi pinched the bridge of her nose in deep contemplation. She had vague memories of her father - a distant, blurry outline always refusing to come into focus or near enough for Yachi’s grasp. The only time she recalls touching the figure, she retains the severe impression of burning coal flush against her palm.

Madoka would always weep when the faceless character was around. The silhouette swept around the house time and time again, creating petrifying tumult by crashing down fixtures and berating them with aggressive uproars.

Yachi can’t recall any of the words her father said. But she knows they were always livid. Resentful. Bursting of malice.

And then at last, the figure vanished all together. Yachi held no concrete time frame or reason for it - he was instantly just… _gone._

She could conclude (once she began to mature) that it had a devastating impact on her mom. Madoka was prone to violent outbursts and never failed to maintain Yachi at arms length. In turn, Yachi developed consuming anxiety as well as scant self-esteem.

_No matter what she did in life, it felt wrong._

Yachi turned to studying to quell her loneliness and pain. She believed that if she produced outstanding grades, her mother might be pleased with her. Although it never seemed to work, it became habitual for Yachi to study for hours on end, to  
primarily avoid her mother and sustain any semblance of independence. 

_Did Madoka see Yachi as a ‘mistake’? Or was she the reason for why Madoka was so unhappy with her life?_

Yachi blinked away her river of tears, her reddened, leaky nose sniffling.

_‘Or else you really will end up just like me.’_

Was that supposed to be a protective warning or something vaguely maternal?

Yachi groaned into her pillow, her alarm clock jolting her out of her light doze. She rolled out of bed almost immediately, feeling fruitless if she lay still any longer.

Madoka was patiently waiting for Yachi to scuttle out into the kitchen by the time she completed her morning routine readying herself for school. Had Yachi been able to look at her mother without tearing up, she would have noticed a relatively soft look playing on Madoka’s face.

“Hitoka…” she murmured, approaching her daughter and brushing her fingers through Yachi’s ponytail.

“I-I’m” Yachi choked out, flinching at her mother’s touch, “I’m going to keep my legs closed, mom.”

Madoka crooned with approval, her reason for approaching Yachi this morning automatically fulfilled.

“Smart girl, that was the most important takeaway from our discussion last night,” Madoka grabbed her suitcase resting beside Yachi’s quivering frame, clasping the buckle brashly. Yachi didn’t respond. Madoka proceeded to step into her high heels, tension running rampant between the two of them.

The petite girl remained stationary, still avoiding her mother’s glance.

“And Hitoka…” Madoka continued. She paused a long while until Yachi finally glimpsed up to meet her stern eyes.

“If I ever see either of those boys here, especially that black-haired one, I’m forbidding any tutoring or volleyball club,” Madoka muttered, yanking open the door and departing without a so much as a nod goodbye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> rly sorry for the short chapter!!! next one will make up for it - trust me.
> 
> hoped you enjoyed the kagehina part as much as i did. tis only the beginning friends :D 
> 
> thanks again for all the kudos, comments, and love!!


	11. madoka

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Madoka finds out that she's pregnant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys, i recently started a summer cram class so i've been super busy trying to pass it, but i wrote this mini drabble giving insight into the moment madoka realized she was pregnant at her high school graduation. i might have more flashbacks to this point in time later... i'm not sure, but i really really wanted to write this, even though it's not too long :P

Madoka sat hunched over atop a toilet seat, face buried in the sleeves of her gown. Her tears streamed relentlessly as she allowed them to drip from her eyelids, creating a damp stain on her chest.

 _I’m pregnant,_ she repeated to herself in disbelief for the hundredth time.

Today was supposed to be a day of gleeful celebration. Today was supposed to be carefree, exciting, and memorable.

 _Well, the last part still applied._

She fished a travel tissue pack from the petite purse residing on the ground next to her. Carefully dabbing under her eyes as to not smudge her makeup, she drew a sharp intake of breath, teetering on the edge of hyperventilation.

 _This was all just a sick joke. It had to be._

Madoka – valedictorian of her high school class, revered by her peers, and voted most likely to succeed - had just accepted an offer to her first choice of prestigious colleges. She was living in a fairytale one minute and abruptly came crashing down to the darkest depths of earth the next. 

_‘What do you mean you’re pregnant?’_ a dark voice had asked incredulously, _‘are you trying to prohibit me from taking over the family business? Are you trying to ruin my future?’_

She blew her sopping nose into the used tissue while his voice echoed within her. _Funny how she had never seen that side of him until now._

 _‘It’s not mine. It can’t be. I’ll deny it if you tell anyone,’_ the voice continued, tinged with malice.

Madoka choked on her tears, painfully reliving the former moments between her and her boyfriend.

 _‘Get rid of it, it probably isn’t even alive yet,’_ he spat while shoving his hands into his suit pockets in irritation.

 _‘OF COURSE it’s alive!’_ she shot back, devastated by his lack of remorse towards the life growing inside her.

_‘I don’t want any part of this. It’s your problem.”_

_“OUR PROBLEM,”_ Madoka corrected.

_“Either you get rid of it or it is **your** problem. You just accepted your offer to the University of Tokyo with a full scholarship, didn’t you? Do you really just want to throw that away?”_

Cheers and camera flashes erupted around them, smiling and cheering classmates oblivious to the candor of their conversation.

Madoka failed to process his words. It was in that moment that she bolted for the bathroom and locked herself in the stall, weeping in confusion, utterly forlorn.

_‘Do you really just want to just throw that away?’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter is pretty much written and will most likely be out tomorrow. 
> 
> thank you all so much for the love!! it really means a lot :D


	12. just try it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata and Kageyama continue to be out of sync.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> first part is another glimpse into the future (i really like those, i plan on making the party most of either next chapter or the following chapter) and the rest resumes in current time.
> 
> warning: peer pressure, light sexual content, and underage drinking are present in this chapter.

“Where’s Hinata?” Kageyama growled, interrupting Nishinoya’s latest anecdotes regarding girls he’s confessed to.

“Fucking rude, Kageyama,” Tanaka roared drunkenly, sloshing his beer around and producing an alcoholic puddle on the kitchen floor, “your senpai is trying to help you with your sad love life and you be a little bitch as payment?” He gulped the remainder of his beer, slapping his arm around Nishinoya. Nishinoya proceeded to affectionately punch Tanaka in the stomach while Kageyama huffed with annoyance.

_He was the last sober one in the house._

And just like clockwork, Tanaka piped up.

“Why aren’t you drinking? You’re dishonoring my birthday by not getting hammered. In fact, you’re doing the whole team a dishonor,” Tanaka jested, leering playfully at Kageyama, “c’mon, do a shot with me. Just you and me, little kouhai.”

“AND ME!” Nishinoya jumped up in the space between the two players, “if you do this without me I’ll never forgive you, Ryuuuuu!!”

Kageyama rolled his eyes, embarrassed by the drunken display of his senpais.

“Eh, alright, you can participate too, on one condition, though…” Tanaka banged his empty bottle down onto the counter, “you’re doing a double.”

“HAH? And what about you, birthday boy?” Nishinoya crossed his arms, challenging the spiker, “if I do two, you do two.”

Tanaka grinned, charmed by Nishinoya’s provoking encouragement. 

“You’re on.”

“HEY! Where do you think you’re going?!” Nishinoya snatched the back of Kageyama’s shirt as he attempted skulk away, thwarted from an opportune moment to run away from his distracted teammates.

“Just for that…” Tanaka mumbled, setting up six shot glasses.  
Kageyama’s eyes flew open in panic as he watched Tanaka slosh brown liquid into the small cups. 

“N-no,” the setter choked, “not two. I don’t even want one.”

Tanaka finished playing bartender, examining his work with pride.

“Fine, whatever, just do one with me,” he handed a shot to Kageyama, who was still bewildered by the idea of drinking, “please?”

Tanaka beamed once Kageyama apprehensively wrapped his fingers around the small glass. He snatched up two shots and handed them to Nishinoya then seized two for himself. 

“For glory! For going to Nationals! For my motherfucking birthday!!” Tanaka chanted, hoisting his two glasses in the air. Nishinoya followed suit, cackling wildly at the dedication. Both gazes fell to Kageyama, who had yet to join his cup with theirs.

“C’mon!! The sooner you do this, the sooner I’ll tell you where Hinata is,” Tanaka prodded. 

And when the setter’s eyes thundered to life, he knew he had chosen the correct words for his goading.

Kageyama lifted his shot glass at last, clinking it with the other four. He watched as the two others placed the shots at the two corners of their mouths, tilting their heads back and downing the liquid from the cups. But before they noticed that the underclassman didn’t technically take his shot at the same time as they did, he brought the rim to his lips and tossed his head back, swallowing the sharp liquid.

The three shuddered together from the liquor, Kageyama grimacing into his strangest face yet. His eyebrows furrowed viciously, his eyes clinched shut, his teeth gritted, and his nose scrunched tight.

“WHOOAA Kageyama!!” Nishinoya howled in mirth, “that’s an amazing expression!” 

Tanaka burst into laugher as Kageyama held his contortion. 

The raven-haired boy felt the remains of the alcohol torching his throat. He grasped at it, finding it difficult to swallow. 

“W-water,” he croaked, wincing at the incessant burn that was now spreading to his chest.

Nishinoya ventured to the cabinet, taking a glass and filling it with water from the sink, still grinning ear-to-ear from amusement. He handed the cup to Kageyama, who captured it desperately and drank the whole thing in one go. 

After Kageyama caught his breath, he wiped his mouth with his hand, disgusted by the lingering taste on his tongue. 

“Okay, now that that’s done,” he panted, brushing disheveled bangs from his now clammy forehead, “where’s Hinata?”

“Alright, alright, you earned it,” Tanaka sniggered, fumbling with the cap of the liquor bottle.

Kageyama waited expectantly, but Tanaka wasn’t continuing.

“What? Where is he?”

Tanka smirked coyly.

“I saw him follow Yachi into my sister’s bedroom.”

Kageyama’s eyes and stomach fell hard to the ground. 

_**What?** _

“I saw Yachi grab a bottle from our stock of liquor and…” but Kageyama had stopped listening. He glared at the final shot sitting on the counter, jealously roaring throughout his entire body.

He swiped the glass in the blink of an eye, Tanaka and Nishinoya staring at him with gaping mouths.

“On second thought,” Kageyama began as he rose the glass to his lips, “I will do two.”

He knocked the liquid back in his throat and slammed the empty glass down.

-

“Fuck! You suck!” Kageyama snapped as Hinata missed his toss for the 15th consecutive time.

“Shut up,” Hinata spat in return, “one more.”

The scrimmage resumed. Kageyama sent another toss flying his way while Hinata’s fingers graced the bottom of the ball as it whizzed over his head. Yachi yawned loudly on the sidelines, beaten to a pulp by her lack of sleep.

“You’re useless!” Kageyama shouted, slamming the next ball he had picked up for his pending serve onto the ground, quaking the floor violently beneath him.

Hinata let out a stressed whine.

“No, you are!”

“What’d you say to me?” the setter barked, shooting a glare at his teammate.

“'A poor workman blames his tools!’” Hinata recited, stamping his left foot angrily.

Kageyama, with a dark scowl was playing on his face, tilted his head in irritated confusion. 

“HEY, CUT IT OUT YOU TWO! We don’t have time for this!” Daichi barked, clapping his hands together in an attempt to draw their notice.

“Why don’t you ever pay attention to Yachi when she tutors us on these things?!” Hinata spat, wiping the dripping saliva from the corners of his mouth, “it means that it’s you’re fault I can’t hit your shit tosses.” 

Yachi’s eyes shot up from her sneakers, it finally dawning on her that the boys were no longer jiving on the same wavelength. Frankly, she should have been alerted when neither boy showed up to her classroom for the review session, but her head lingered in a blurred daze. If only she was distracted by the mere fact that Kageyama had kissed her, not the damaging fact that her mother had belittled her entire existence. 

Yachi sighed, remaining silent while the two players bickered.

“Why don’t you just trust me and hit the ball like how we’ve practiced?!”

“BECAUSE BAKAYAMA, THAT’S NOT HOW YOU IMPROVE!!” “You don’t get better from practicing the same things over and over again! You get better by trying out new things!!”

“Alright, Hinata, switch sides. Let’s keep going,” Ukai mumbled, rubbing his temples in dissatisfaction. 

-

It was another sleepless night for Yachi – riddled with memories of her mother’s verbal torment.

She found herself dozing during the lunchtime review session, he eyes filling with tired tears each time she strained her mouth open to let out a yawn. 

“Hey Yachi, is this right?” Hinata slid his notebook over to the blonde.

“Mm?” her eyes swept over the open page.

“Are you okay?” Hinata had scribbled with tiny handwriting in the corner of his work.

“Mhm,” she nodded, half falling asleep during her answer.

“Okay, I was just checking,” Hinata said, his pupils trained on hers, “I mean, I’m not sure if you realize, but we’ve been doing the same problem over and over again for 15 minutes now…”

Yachi glanced at him, mystified, as if he were performing a complicated magic trick. After a few moments, it was clear that he was right about the repetition.

“Oh my god guys, I’m so sorry. Can we try this again tomorrow? I’m just out of it today,” she yawned again, wiping the stray collection of tears from her waterline. 

“Yeah, sure, no problem,” Kageyama grunted, snatching his notes and leaving the table without a word.

Yachi and Hinata gaped at him as he left and then turned to each other.

“What was that all about?” Hinata muttered under his breath, wrapping an arm around his closed notebook and rising from the desk.

Yachi shrugged weakly while mirroring his motions, trailing the decoy out of the classroom. 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Hinata asked again as they reached the hallway.

“I just honestly haven’t been sleeping…” Yachi admitted turning her gaze from Hinata, “it’s been a whole lot of tossing and turning.”

Hinata inspected Yachi’s face. Her beautiful complexion was now almost snow white, like an ailing hospital patient. Her usually vigilant, attentive eyes were unfocused and had developed puffy, dark circles under them. Yachi’s hair wasn’t even pulled back in her usual, immaculate side-ponytail. Instead, it lay unwashed and matted on her pallid forehead.

“Stop looking at me like that,” she said at last, annoyed at Hinata’s gawking.

“Yachi, you look really ill. I’m taking you to the nurse,” he clutched her hand and she immediately snatched it back.

“No, don’t,” she mumbled, grabbing her wrist with her other hand where Hinata had touched her, “I’m fine.”

“But you’re not! I’ve never seen you look like this!” 

“What do you do when you need to fall asleep?” Yachi asked, completely ignoring their previous conversation.

Hinata stood silently for a moment, debating whether he should answer or just drag her to the nurse’s office. When Yachi looked at him with pain clouding her eyes, he gave into responding to her question.

“Uh, usually I take deep breaths, like meditate almost,” Hinata laughed the second Yachi shot a befuddled expression at him, “I know it’s hard to believe with my endless energy, but I can do it. Or I drink some herbal tea or chamomile. I’ll even pull out my school books when I’m desperate because I KNOW that’ll put me right out.” 

Yachi sighed.

“What?” Hinata asked, slightly offended that she didn’t laugh at his little joke.

“I’ve tried all of that. Well, not specifically the textbook thing but I have tried reading,” she groaned and placed her face in her hands, “it’s hopeless.”

Hinata gripped his chin, wondering if he should include the other thing he does when he needs to fall sleep.

“S-say Yachi,” Hinata started when she wasn’t lifting her head back up, “there’s one more thing.”

Yachi lifted herself from her hands.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah…” Hinata chewed his bottom lip before proceeding, “it’s not… well… it’s kinda… not proper.”

Yachi squinted curiously at him.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean… my last method isn’t exactly exemplary…”

“Huh? How?”

Hinata took a deep breath.

“I… whenever I really need to fall asleep I…” Hinata paused, then made a lewd pumping gesture in front of his pelvis.

Yachi was now blatantly puzzled.

“So? What do you do?” Yachi was mystified - too pure for her own good.

“You’re gonna make me say it, aren’t you?” Hinata chuckled nervously, “I… you know… m-masturbate.”

Yachi’s eyes momentarily regained their former alert appearance as they shot open in horror.

“Eeeehhhh???” Yachi bellowed, brown eyes now hiding between her fingers.

Hinata’s face flushed, but he forced himself to continue.

“I know it sounds… awkward, but it really works…” he scratched the back of his head, “like at the end. It’s a release and it’ll send you right to dreamland.” 

“Why would you tell me this?!” she cried, inching away from the redhead, “it’s… weird!!”

Red continued to bloom throughout Hinata’s face but he shrugged his shoulders.

“Everyone does it,” he mentioned quietly, toeing his shoe into the floor.

“I don’t!!!” 

“Now that,” Hinata’s lips curled into a smug smile, “is _weird_.”

Yachi was shaking with second-hand embarrassment. The chimes of the lunch bell resounded in the hallway they stood in.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go home?” he probed one last time as he tightened his arm around his notebook.

Yachi shook her head violently.

“Well, okay. Suit yourself,” he started back for his classroom, before turning around one more time to face Yachi.

“Just try it. I think it might work,” Hinata called to her, the same smug grin returning to his mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wonder what's yachi's gonna do tonight? ;D
> 
> thanks for reading!!!!


End file.
